


Dancing on glass

by Junliet



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Male Cinderella, domestic abuse, fairytale AU, prince Javier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-12 13:11:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18011540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junliet/pseuds/Junliet
Summary: Once upon a time, at the edge of a kingdom, there lived a small family of three: two parents and their son. One, the father, was tall with golden brown hair and a knack for making his wife and son laugh. The mother of the family was Japanese and had dark eyes and a pale complexion. Both loved each other fiercely, and their son inherited beauty from them both. Even from a young age, he had a sunny smile, and black hair that he'd inherited from his mother. He had soft, squishy cheeks that his mother especially loved to poke and squeeze, and brown eyes that almost disappeared when he laughed at his father's jokes. They were a happy, content family.((AKA: The Cinderella AU that nobody asked for but you're getting anyway!))





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again everyone! After the absolute mess of angst that was my last fic, I decided to go for something nicer again. What better to write than another fairy tale fic? There's not much I can really add to this other than that updates might be kind of slow, so sorry in advance!
> 
> Character list:  
> Cinderella: Yuzuru  
> Prince Charming: Javier  
> Fairy Godmother: Shoma  
> Stepmother: Eteri  
> Two (not evil!) stepsisters: Evgenia and Alina  
> Captain of the Royal Guard: Brian (Orser)  
> Lucifer (the cat): Evgeni  
> The mice: Jun, Satoko, and Wakaba  
> Yuzuru's dad: Alexei  
> Yuzuru's mum: Shizuka  
> The king: Brian (Boitano)  
> The Grand Duke: Nikolai Morozov

_Once upon a time, at the edge of a kingdom, there lived a small family of three: two parents and their son. One, the father, was tall with golden brown hair and a knack for making his wife and son laugh. The mother of the family was Japanese and had dark eyes and a pale complexion. Both loved each other fiercely, and their son inherited beauty from them both. Even from a young age, he had a sunny smile, and black hair that he'd inherited from his mother. He had soft, squishy cheeks that his mother especially loved to poke and squeeze, and brown eyes that almost disappeared when he laughed at his father's jokes. They were a happy, content family._

_"Yuzuru," the young boy's mother said gently as her son sat next to her on the grass. She made a daisy chain and looped it around his shoulders with a smile. "Yuzuru, my darling, you have so much kindness in your little body. You will go far in life."_

_"What do you mean?" Yuzuru asked softly, looking up at his mother with wide brown eyes that resembled a puppy._

_"I mean, Yuzuru, that when the world seems coldest, and cruel, you must remember this. If there is nothing else in life that you remember, make it this: have courage and be kind."_

_"I will," Yuzuru promised, linking his finger with hers as he smiled brightly too. "I will have courage and be kind forever, promise."_

_"That's my little darling," she kissed the crown of his head with a soft smile, stroking his hair lightly. He looked up at her with wide eyes._

_"Mother. Does magic exist?" Without batting an eyelash, his mother nodded solemnly._

_"Of course it does Yuzuru. How can it not exist in this world?" "What do you mean?" He asked and she brushed some of the hair out of his eyes. "I know magic exists Yuzuru. And one day you will see that it exists for you too."_

_She chuckled, moving more of his hair out of his eyes as her husband scooped their son up, bouncing him in his arms lightly._

_"How's my little prince and my queen?"_

_Yuzuru cuddled him tightly as his father offered his wife a hand, helping her up. "Does that make you the king Dad?"_

_He laughed and looped an arm around his wife's waist, other arm supporting his son gently. "Lavenders blue, dilly dilly, lavenders green. When I am king, dilly dilly," he looked at his wife and she leaned her head on his shoulder, "you shall be queen."_

_Yuzuru hummed, eyes fluttering closed as he fell asleep in his parents' arms._

_Following his mother's words, Yuzuru befriended the farm animals, especially the trio of mice he found underneath the cabinet at home once. He scooped them up with a smile, breaking apart a piece of bread for them. "A piece for little Jun," he placed the chunk of bread down in front of the black and white mouse, "a piece for Satoko," he placed it down in front of the black mouse, "and a piece for Wakaba." he smiled, placing the last piece down in front of the brown and white mouse. The three squeaked at him happily. Everything was perfect for the little family._

_Until it wasn't_

_Yuzuru sat by his mother's bedside, embroidering a handkerchief as she lay next to to him, eyes closed. He reached for her hand occasionally, stroking it lightly. She turned away from him, coughing._

_"Yuzuru?"_

_"Yes?" he put the sewing to one side and took hold of both of her hands. "Do you need something? Anything?"_

_"I need you to listen to me Yuzuru," she coughed out, looking him directly in the eyes as she rubbed the back of his hands with her thumbs gently, "and I need you to make me a promise."_

_"Anything," Yuzuru replied, blinking rapidly at her, "absolutely anything. What do you need me to do?"_

_"Promise me," his mother seriously said, "promise me, that no matter what comes your way, no matter what life throws at you, you will have courage, and you will show kindness to others. Have courage and be kind Yuzuru."_

_"I will," Yuzuru whispered, blinking back tears, "I-I promise... I promise you I will... I will always have courage and be kind." His mother smiled and kissed his forehead gently. Within half an hour she was asleep. Yuzuru closed the door quietly to let her sleep when his father came up._

_"_ _Everything okay?" He asked softly, scooping up a five year old Yuzuru in his arms._

_"_ _Will she get better?" Yuzuru asked quietly. His father's face fell and he held Yuzuru tighter, rubbing the back of his head gently as he held Yuzuru against his shoulder carefully._

_"_ _Y-Yuzuru... She..." His father shook his head sadly. "I-I... I wish there was more we could do b-but the doctor came and..." Yuzuru let out a little whimper and buried his face in his father's shoulder._

_"B-but... B-but it's not fair!"_

_"I know," Alexei said softly, voice catching slightly in his throat, "I-I know it's not fair."_

_"T-then why her?" Yuzuru sniffled, wiping his eyes. "I-I... W-we'll miss her!"_

_Alexei nodded, "I know we'll miss her," he whispered, "but... but... But it's okay. They know that you're strong, and that I'm strong, and that we'll get through this."_

_Yuzuru nodded weakly, snuggling into his father's arms more. The older man rocked him gently, comforting him in his arms, and, when Yuzuru fell asleep, he tucked him into bed next to his old, worn out yellow bear with a kiss on the forehead goodnight. Yuzuru's mother passed away that night. Her husband sat up with her the whole time, and they both decided to let Yuzuru sleep. She died painlessly, with words of love for her husband and son being the last thing on her mind. Yuzuru sobbed, holding onto her hand stubbornly as they waited for the doctor to come. His father could offer him no words of comfort as his real mother was taken from him forever._

_"I-I miss her already," Yuzuru whispered, holding onto his father tightly. The older man rubbed his son's back carefully, like he had all those years ago when Yuzuru was first born._

_"Me too," he admitted, kissing his son's cheek. "M-me... M-me too. B-but... But she lives on, see?" He placed a hand over his son's heart. "In here. She will always be with you here, especially if you have courage and are kind."_

_"I will," Yuzuru promised his father, just as he had promised his mother a few days before. "I will. I will make her proud."_

_"You already do, and you always will Yuzuru," his father said gently._

_The two lived alone for many years and Yuzuru grew up into a handsome young man with looks he'd inherited mostly from his mother. He kept her words in his heart and remained kind and emotionally strong. Not long after Yuzuru had turned eighteen, his father came to speak to him._

_"Yuzuru," he said seriously as they sat in the older man's office, "Yuzuru I... I need to talk to you about something. I..." he swallowed thickly, fiddling with his hands._

_Yuzuru laid a hand on his gently and tilted his head at him. "Yes Father?"_

_"I-I... I've found somebody..." the older man admitted, and Yuzuru's face lit up. He took hold of his father's hand across the desk with a bright smile that lit up the room._

_"That's amazing! You deserve happiness!" He squeezed his hand, laughing a little to himself. His father's eyebrows raised and he looked at his son in confusion._

_"You don't mind?" he asked, and Yuzuru shook his head quickly._

_"I will never mind you finding happiness." he promised, smiling gently at his father. "But... W-whoever they are... they won't..."_

_"I know," his father said quickly, rubbing his shoulder, "I know they won't replace her. But... But I feel I love her Yuzuru. She has two daughters, both a little younger than you, and... if you could see to being kind to them..."_

_"Of course," Yuzuru promised with a nod and a grin. "I promise to be kind, Father. You never have to worry about that. I will make my home their home and I will be open to them."_

_Yuzuru went up to his room and smiled when he spotted his three little friends sitting on the table. He stroked their ears gently, setting down a plate of biscuits for them._

_"Hello Jun! Hi Satoko! And good evening Wakaba. How are you three doing?"_

_Yuzuru got only squeaks in return as he pulled his journal off his bookshelf with a content sigh. The mice looked over his neat handwriting as he jotted down his thoughts on the day, getting biscuit crumbs on the corner of the page. "I wonder what my step siblings will be like," Yuzuru mused aloud, interrupting his humming to himself, "Father said that they're both sisters and they're a little younger than me. I wonder if they'll like you three? I hope so! Oh, I bet they're really pretty and really kind too! I wonder if they'll have their own stories to tell, and their own adventures that they've been on." He crossed out a little bit, frowning slightly. "I hope this is really what Father wants. I... I want him to be happy. Properly happy. And not just pretending for me."_

_The mice nosed at his hand gently and he smiled, rubbing their ears again. "You're right, of course. I just need to have courage, trust, and be kind. I will do my best."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun was shining brightly as Yuzuru and his father waited together under the porch, overlooking the courtyard and drive through the forest as a large black carriage, pulled by two black horses, came to a stop by the door, in front of the cherry tree that Yuzuru had loved to climb when he was younger. It passed by the fountain and stopped outside the old stone home that held so many memories for Yuzuru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not happy with this chapter. Sorry. Please enjoy it anyway though xx

The sun was shining brightly as Yuzuru and his father waited together under the porch, overlooking the courtyard and drive through the forest as a large black carriage, pulled by two black horses, came to a stop by the door, in front of the cherry tree that Yuzuru had loved to climb when he was younger. It passed by the fountain and stopped outside the old stone home that held so many memories for Yuzuru. His father squeezed his hands and both men exchanged a smile before the older stepped forwards towards the carriage, opening the door.

"Welcome ladies!" he smiled brightly, offering a hand to the two girls.

Both were younger than Yuzuru and had long brown hair that they kept tied back in ponytails. The taller kept a protective arm around her as they looked Yuzuru up and down, taking in his appearance as he headed over to them with a smile.

"He's very slim," the younger whispered and the older nodded, studying his jawline and face.

"Nice to meet you," the older sister said, offering Yuzuru a hand without letting go of her younger sister's shoulders. Her tone was a little cold, and Yuzuru blinked in surprise as he shook her hand quickly. "I'm Evgenia."

"Yuzuru," he bowed his head quickly and smiled at the other sister. "And... you are...?"

"Alina," she said softly before she turned back to her older sister, frowning. "Evgenia, I want to go home. I don't like it here."

"This is home now," Evgenia whispered, avoiding looking at Yuzuru. He rubbed his arm awkwardly before he offered the ladies a small smile.

"I can show you around if you'd like?"

"Do you keep animals inside the farmhouse?" Alina asked with genuine curiosity. Yuzuru chuckled and shook his head at her gently. His smile dropped, however, when the girls' mother stepped out of the carriage. She was nothing like how Yuzuru's own mother had been. Where Yuzuru's mother had been soft, with rounder cheeks and more cuddly features, the girls' mother had harsher cheekbones and a sharper nose, as well as other more defined features. Yuzuru's mother had passed her straight dark hair down to her son, but the girls' mother had long wavy blonde hair. She held herself differently too; Yuzuru's mother had an approachable and kind air to her, but the girls' mother held her jaw firmly and Yuzuru bristled under her gaze slightly. She scrutinised his posture before she smiled slightly at his father, reminding Yuzuru of a snake about to strike, before she walked into his family home, tugging a fat blonde cat along behind her by a leash. Yuzuru shook himself off before he smiled again and gestured to the two young ladies, inviting them into his home.

"Here is the drawing room," Yuzuru gestured into the main room where several comfortable sofas and armchairs sat beside a currently empty fireplace. Alina took in everything, looking at the chandelier and the painting of Yuzuru as a child hanging on the wall as well as the large mirror over the fireplace.

"It is a home," Alina commented as Yuzuru led them through to the kitchen. He pulled out a chair for each of them in the dining room and gestured for them to sit down.

"I'm glad you like this then," Yuzuru said softly to Alina. Evgenia's eyes narrowed slightly at Yuzuru but the older stood up, gesturing to the stairs. "Uh... Please allow me to help you to your room. Um... Unless you'd rather stay here?"

"We should got up!" Alina smiled brightly, and Evgenia followed her to her feet too, humming lightly.

Yuzuru nodded and smiled, walking with the pair in a slightly awkward silence towards the large spiral staircase. He led them up to the first landing and gestured to two doors.

"This room is mine," he pointed at a closed door behind him, "and... um... if you need me I will be here. Please feel free to come and talk to me if you want. I'd like to help you feel comfortable in your new home." He then pointed to the door opposite his and opened it, revealing a large, brightly lit room. Two beds, each with its own armoire, set of drawers, and dressing table next to it. He gestured to the beds and stepped back to allow both girls in. Alina and Evegenia looked around, taking in the high ceiling and pale yellow walls of the room. Alina all but ran over to the window, gazing out of it with a gasp.

"Look at the view Zhenya! Look at the gardens here! it's beautiful!" Evgenia and Yuzuru exchanged a look and the man couldn't help but relax as the lady rolled her eyes at her little sister. Evgenia walked across the room and pulled her sister into a hug, humming a little as they both looked out of the large sash windows.

"We should go for a walk soon," Evgenia said gently, half looking at Yuzuru. "Maybe tomorrow, or something. To get to know each other better, you know."

Yuzuru nodded, smiling as he bowed his head to them lightly. "It sounds wonderful," he said softly. "I... I will give you some space and privacy. You can fight over who has which bed. I will come and collect you both for dinner. If you would like. If you need me, I will be in my room."

"Thank you," Evgenia said softly, giving him a little nod as she rubbed Alina's shoulders gently, turning away from him to look out of the window. Yuzuru closed the door to their room behind him and walked across the landing to his own.

He shut the door and leaned against it, taking a deep breath as his smile dropped. Maintaining a facade was painful, exceptionally painful, and difficult, but he would do it if it made his father happy. He picked up his notebook and wrote in it, letting out his frustrations in careful and neat handwriting on the paper.

Downstairs, Alexei and the girls' mother stood together in the hallway together. She lightly traced a finger over the portrait of Yuzuru before she glanced back at him, narrowing her eyes at him slightly. "He doesn't look like you very much."

"Well, you see, he takes after his--" he cut himself off, frowning a little.

"His mother?" she turned, smiling at him as gently as she could. "Quite so. He's a very... Interesting young man to look at."

Alexei smiled a little and took her hand gently after she let the cat off its lead, leading her up the stairs. "Come, Eteri, let me show you the rest of the house. There's one room for you personally at least should you want the extra space."

As evening came closer, Yuzuru knocked on the girls' doors gently. Evgenia opened it, and she and Alina followed Yuzuru down the stairs to the dining room. The trio sat down at dinner, and Yuzuru's father and their mother walked in, sitting down at the two heads of the table.

Yuzuru looked up at the girls' mother and froze in his seat. He'd found her intimidating before, but now that her brown eyes were hyper focused on him, Yuzuru felt painfully exposed. Her eyes scanned his face and torso, lingering on the necklaces that his mother had given to him when he was little. When her eyes met with his, Yuzuru shivered slightly, avoiding her eyes as he looked down at his hands, rubbing his hands gently.

When Yuzuru looked back up from his plate partway through the meal only to make unintentional eye contact with her again. Her eyes didn't move from his; they only narrowed at him. Yuzuru averted his eyes again, but he could still feel her piercing gaze on him. His appetite vanished and he was having a hard time breathing under the pressure of her harsh gaze.

At the end of the meal, Yuzuru, out of habit, cleared the plates away, taking them down to the kitchen as the rest of the family went into the drawing room. Silently, he noted how little had actually been removed from his stepsisters' plates and how most of the food had actually just been pushed around the plate to make it look like they'd eaten something. Yuzuru deliberately helped the staff wash the plates up to avoid spending extra time with those eyes on him. When he could delay it no longer, he headed up out of the kitchen and into the drawing room.

His father looped an arm around his shoulders as he settled on the sofa next to him. Yuzuru did his best to ignore his stepmother sitting on his father's other side, and Evgenia and Alina sat on one of the sofas opposite to them.

"Was your journey alright?" Alexei asked. Eteri sighed in a way that would have been comical to Yuzuru if the young man had not been trying to hold back the urge to vomit.

"It was terrible. We were hit by a rainstorm, and the roads were bumpy, the horses caused us problems, and we nearly lost some of our things."

Alexei nodded, and Yuzuru frowned slightly at his father's expression. "Of course. We will sort most of the larger items tomorrow. For tonight, I hope everything will be alright as it is."

"It's fine," Eteri said, almost dismissively. "How do you like your room girls?"

"The view is beautiful," Alina mumbled, and Evgenia rubbed her sister's shoulder lightly.

"It's lovely. Different, but lovely."

Yuzuru's father patted his leg gently and excused them both. He gestured to Yuzuru to follow him, and the younger man headed up the stairs to the second landing, closing the door to his father's study behind him.

"Father?" he asked softly. Alexei sat down and produced a notebook, smiling at Yuzuru.

"I'm going away for business deals very soon Yuzuru. What would you like me to bring back for you? Your sist--.... Uh... Your step sisters have asked for lace dresses and rose gold jewellery. What sort of thing would you like?"

Yuzuru fiddled with his distinctive necklace, thinking to himself. He looked up, meeting his father's eyes with a soft smile. "I would like you to bring back the first branch that brushes your shoulder on your travels."

His father raised an eyebrow at him. "That's an... That's an interesting request Yuzuru. Are you sure I can't tempt you with something like jewels, or clothes, or gold?"

"No," Yuzuru said firmly. "You can't tempt me with anything else. Because, when you get brushed on the shoulder with it, you will have to take it with you for the rest of your travels, and remember me, and think of me the whole time you are gone."

"You speak as if I could ever go away without thinking of you," Alexei stood up, opening his arms for his son. Yuzuru ran over, hiding his face in his father's shoulder as he hugged him tightly. "I know it's not going to be easy for a while, but... Please Yuzuru, please do your best."

"I will," Yuzuru promised, holding him tight. His father kissed the crown of his head gently.

"There is so much of your mother in you," he whispered, moving Yuzuru's hair out of his eyes. "What did she always used to say?"

"Have courage and be kind," Yuzuru prompted, and Alexei nodded.

"Can you do that for me?" he asked, and Yuzuru nodded. "Have courage, and be kind."

Unknown to both of them, watching through the window in the door of Alexei's study, Eteri's eyes narrowed at the pair. She frowned and turned quickly, heels clicking quietly against the floors of the house as she hurried down the stairs back towards the fire. Evgenia and Alina had already retired and were speaking with hushed voices in their room.

Yuzuru went down to his own room and looked at the other door down the hallway with a little frown. He sat on his bed, picking up his worn yellow bear and squeezing it tightly.

"Everything will be okay, won't it Pooh?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the kitchen, as the sunbeams first broke over the horizon, the three mice knocked into the cupboard, knocking several small lumps of cheese off it and onto the floor beside them. They nibbled at it, squeaking, when the trio froze, listening. A low growling noise came from behind them, and the three turned very slowly, eyes widening at the sight of the fat blonde cat. The three mice darted under the cabinet, pulling the cheese with them, so that, even when he reached in with a paw, he couldn’t get them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I wasn't sure if I should upload this chapter, but hey ho, here it is. Bad things happen in this chapter, sorry. I hope you enjoy it xx

In the kitchen, as the sunbeams first broke over the horizon, the three mice knocked into the cupboard, knocking several small lumps of cheese off it and onto the floor beside them. They nibbled at it, squeaking, when the trio froze, listening. A low growling noise came from behind them, and the three turned very slowly, eyes widening at the sight of the fat blonde cat. The three mice darted under the cabinet, pulling the cheese with them, so that, even when he reached in with a paw, he couldn’t get them.

“I will get you soon,” he hissed. “Don’t get comfortable.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Satoko squeaked back, frowning at him a little. “What do you mean you’ll get us?”

“Cats eat mice,” the blonde cat looked at them under the cabinet with a nasty glare, “and I’m a cat, and you’re a mouse. I will get all of you soon.”

“If you can reach,” she pointed out. Evgeni took a swipe at them with his paw when he was suddenly scooped up.

“Just what,” Yuzuru bounced him lightly, cooing a little, “yes, what do you think you are doing Evgeni? Satoko, Jun, and Wakaba-chan are my honoured guests, and we must not harm guests.”

The cat hissed and twisted in the young man’s grip, trying to claw at his arms, but Yuzuru only hugged him tighter, arms out of the way of his claws. The three mice dashed out of the kitchen together, running up the stairs towards the attic. Yuzuru rubbed the back of Evgeni’s head gently before he set the cat down and headed out of the kitchen, up to the foyer, and out of the main doorway. He swallowed thickly, frowning a little as he approached the large black open topped carriage.

“Do you have to go?” Yuzuru asked his father softly, face hidden in his shoulder to try and hide his tears. The older man rubbed his back gently.

“It’s only for a few weeks. I’ll be back before you know it.” Alexei rubbed his back gently. “And I always leave a part of me here when I go, so you’ll never be truly without me. Okay?”

Yuzuru sniffed, wiping his eyes as his father pulled back. “Okay,” he whispered, smiling through his tears.

Alexei climbed up into the carriage, giving Yuzuru one final hug as he sat down next to the young man from the next estate over, Farmer Jason. The older man patted his son’s back lightly as the carriage set off slowly; the horses gained speed slowly.

“Don’t forget my lace!”

“And my rose gold jewellery!” Yuzuru’s two sisters shouted after the carriage, their mother rubbing their shoulders lightly. Yuzuru ran alongside the carriage, holding his father’s hand tightly as he sped away. His father held it as long as he could before the carriage turned out of the courtyard. Yuzuru was forced to let go and watch as his father sped from his life once more.

“I love you!” Yuzuru shouted, waving after the carriage. His father waved back with a wide, bright smile.

“I love you too Yuzuru!” He shouted. Neither stopped waving until the carriage was long out of sight and, once he could see his son no more, Alexei slumped down in his seat, tipping his hat lower to hide the tears in his eyes from Farmer Jason.

As soon as the carriage was out of sight, Eteri turned and headed back inside, glaring at the two young ladies for a moment. Evgenia and Alina exchanged a look before they avoided looking at Yuzuru, half running back up to their own rooms. Yuzuru stood just beyond the gates to their courtyard, looking at the empty drive with tears in his eyes. He bit his lip hard as a few slipped down his cheeks before he steeled himself and headed back into the house. Yuzuru wiped at his eyes, sniffing quietly.

“Yuzuru dear,” he looked up to see his stepmother sitting on one of the sofas. She waved him over and he sat down next to her, looking at his hands folded neatly in his lap. She pulled him into a hug, patting him on the back. “It’s alright. He’ll be home soon. Do not worry.”

Yuzuru pulled back, smiling very slightly, and he bowed his head to her out of respect. “Yes stepmother,” he mumbled.

“Oh, you needn’t call me that,” she said with a smirk that twisted Yuzuru’s insides. She dapped at under his eyes with a handkerchief before she continued speaking. “Madame will do.”

The door crashed open, interrupting the two as Evegnia and Alina argued between themselves. Eteri raised an eyebrow at the colourful language her daughters were using before she looked at Yuzuru sadly.

“I think they’re finding the sleeping quarters rather confining.”

Yuzuru’s mouth made a small ‘o’ shape as he thought for a moment. “Well, they could share my room? It’s bigger.”

“Oh, what a lovely idea Yuzuru,” Eteri smiled at him in a way that Yuzuru assumed was meant to be kind.

Yuzuru nodded, smiling. “A-and, and then I can stay in the—”

“The attic!” She cut him off and his face fell a little. “Quite so.”

“T-the attic?” Yuzuru asked, uncertainty and confusion seeping into his voice.

“Yes,” Eteri stood up, walking over to a tray of threads and needles that had been placed on the table. “You’d be even more cosy if you took all of this… uh… bric-a-brac up there with you. It’ll keep you amused.” She handed him the tray before she left the room quickly, leaving Yuzuru staring after her in confusion and shock. He glanced down at the tray in his arms with a little sigh, and he headed up the three flights of stairs to the attic.

Yuzuru opened the door to the attic with his back, looking around the dust covered old room. He set the tray down, running a finger lightly over the surface of the chest of drawers in the room.

“Well,” Yuzuru said to himself, voice echoing around the empty space, “no one shall disturb me here I suppose.”

Yuzuru then set about making the room appear more like his own. He covered the old bed frame in the room with his own things that Alina and Evgenia had packed up for him and placed outside. He tucked in his old bear with a soft smile and placed his journals on the bookshelf. Tripping over a loose floorboard, he lifted it and hid a box of treasures underneath it, smiling a little to himself as he replaced the board. He picked up the old abandoned chair in the room before he gasped with delight.

“Junnie? Satoko? Wakaba-chan?” He knelt down, rubbing the mice’s ears gently. “So, this is where you come to take refuge, huh?”

The mice all squeaked at him, sitting on the seat of the worn-out chair as Yuzuru sat on the edge of his bed. He smiled gently and picked up their pieces of food for them.

“Me too it would seem,” he admitted with a soft smile. He stood up, looking around the room with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

“How very pleasant,” Yuzuru monologued. “No cat to upset my friends,” he glanced down at the mice as he headed over to the door, “and no step family,” he said to himself, closing the door firmly.

From the bottom of the stairs, Evgenia and Alina exchanged an amused look before they chuckled to themselves, giving Yuzuru his own privacy.

In the morning, Yuzuru got up as the dawn broke and headed out into the yard, collecting the eggs from the chickens with a bright, happy spirit that appeared unbreakable. He took them into the kitchens and thanked the staff with a smile as he placed them in the pot for the staff. He then set about tidying up the main room and he helped to set the table for breakfast, like he always did. He waited by the door eagerly and grinned when he saw there was a letter addressed to him. He tore the envelope open and read it happily, heart swelling a little with love.

_"Dear Yuzuru, I miss you so dearly. We went through a forest today and several branches brushed my shoulders. I didn't forget my promise and gift to you though, and I will think of you every time I look at it. The weather isn't too bad here, but you should have seen Jason when we entered this town we are staying in now. He was soaked through! I love you so much Yuzuru, and I can't wait to see you again. If you change your mind about a present, please let me know. I'll do anything to make you happy. With love, your father"_

Yuzuru sighed, holding the letter close to his chest. It was as if his father was there hugging him too, and he tucked it into the waistband of his trousers before he got on with some of the other housework. Yuzuru cleaned the silverware, dusted some of the main room, and dedicated more of his spare time to turning the attic into a room that suited him a little better. He moved most of his books and clothes up, organising the clothes in the slightly dusty armoire, and he stacked his books up on the rickety shelf. He frowned, moving them around before he started to fix up the shelf. As the weeks passed by, Yuzuru distracted himself mostly by fixing up the old furniture as well as doing other chores for the family. Evgenia and Alina reluctantly gave him clothes to fix, and so he would sit by the fire in the evening, repairing the clothes. He did everything that his step family, mainly his step mother, requested of him. He cleaned up, helped to cook, repaired their clothes, cleaned shoes, and took care of Evgeni, all without complaint. His father's letters kept him going through the days; each one helped him to stay positive and happy as he kept working hard.

Yuzuru was cleaning up after dinner, washing up the family's plates when a knock on the door brought him out of his head and thoughts. He dried his hands on the hand towel. He headed over to the door, face falling a little as he opened it.

"F-farmer Jason?" Yuzuru asked, pieces clicking together in his mind. "J-Jason... J-Jason what..."

"Y-Yuzuru," Jason whispered sadly, eyes full of tears, "I-it's... I-it's y-your father..." Yuzuru froze, eyes widening as the farmer continued. "H-he took ill on the road."

_Alexei coughed and spluttered as Jason helped him into one of the nearby inns and helped him into the bed. He groaned in pain, looking up at the young farmer weakly. "Jason," he whispered, and the farmer sat by him, swallowing sadly as the older ran reached for him weakly, "P-please, deliver the branch to Yuzuru. Please... G-get it home to him...." He coughed, and Jason bit his lip hard. "T-tell him... Please, please tell him I love him."_

_Jason held his hand tightly, looking away as it went limp. He covered his eyes, sobbing quietly._

_"Come on," Jason looked up to see a short man with curly brown hair and deep brown eyes looking up at him. "Don't cry. It'll be alright in the end, you'll see."_

_"But... His son--"_

_"Will be alright too." The other man offered him a hand to shake. "I'm Shoma."_

_"Jason."_

"H-he spoke only of you, Yuzuru, you and your mother. H-he... H-he told me to give you this..." Jason handed Yuzuru a small section of a branch from a beech tree. Yuzuru took it with a shaky hand, blinking back his tears desperately. Jason bowed his head softly to him before he turned, wiping his eyes as he walked away from the estate.

"How will we live?" Eteri asked from behind Yuzuru, who stood numbly in the doorway, fiddling with the branch.

The young man closed the door and, once Eteri had gone upstairs, the sobs came. Yuzuru leaned his back against the door and slid down it, sobs wracking his slim body as he choked and spluttered on his tears, holding the branch close to his heart like it was his father. He sobbed into his arms until exhaustion hit him fully and he fell asleep against the door with sticky trails from tears still on his face and an empty feeling inside that hurt more than he could put into words.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Yuzuru’s father no longer there to support them, economies had to be taken. Yuzuru hugged the staff as they left the estate for the final time, wiping his eyes as he waved goodbye to them. All the time he was outside, Eteri’s glare burned into the back of his head before she turned and headed in, leaving Yuzuru to watch as the last people from his childhood left his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! Here's another chapter of this mess of a story. A lot happens here, but warning for violence. Sorry. I will confess: I was really really struggling with this chapter, but then the most amazing person ever really really helped me out. Thank you so so so so so much ForeverDoesntExist for helping me to get out of a little slump today xx
> 
> Enjoy (?) this chapter xx

With Yuzuru’s father no longer there to support them, economies had to be taken. Yuzuru hugged the staff as they left the estate for the final time, wiping his eyes as he waved goodbye to them. All the time he was outside, Eteri’s glare burned into the back of his head before she turned and headed in, leaving Yuzuru to watch as the last people from his childhood left his life.

“Yuzuru,” his stepmother’s cold tone cut him out of his thoughts as he cleared the table after dinner. He looked up, meeting her cold eyes with his own concern filled ones, “you need distracting from your grief.”

“M-madame?” Yuzuru asked uncertainly, picking up her plate to add to the stack. She swirled her glass at him, finishing off the red wine.

“You, Yuzuru, need distractions. You’ve been too woeful and mournful, and it’s time you stopped being so useless and started being more helpful around here. Everything is tight at the moment. We cannot afford to have you just blubbing all the time now, can we?”

Yuzuru wiped at his eyes quickly, balancing the plates on one arm as he averted his gaze, not looking at her.

“And so, your lovely sisters and I will certainly come up with lots and lots of distractions for you to help you.” She stood, gesturing to a pile of dirty and scuffed shoes by the doorway as well as a large pile of laundry next to that. “So, pull your weight or we’ll remove you from the house. You’ve been wasting resources long enough.”

She left, leaving a shocked Yuzuru watching her go with a frown. He glanced down at the plates, then the shoes, and then the laundry.

“Get to it, you useless thing! Now!” the voice from the other room scared Yuzuru and he all but ran to the kitchen, washing up the plates from dinner hurriedly.

He glanced up partway through, staring at the little reflection in the tiles on the kitchen wall. He blinked at himself, swallowing the lump in his throat as he dried up the crockery and cutlery, putting them away with shaky hands. He finished drying his hands on the towel before he picked up the laundry, setting it into the sink for handwashing in the morning. Finally, he scooped up the pile of shoes and carried them up to his room, stepping over the creaky stair and opening his door with his back. He sat down and took the shoe brush from off the tray, starting to work his way through the seemingly insurmountable pile. At some point in the evening, he fell asleep, dropping the brush and the shoe.

The bells for servants rang, startling Yuzuru awake, and he hastily rubbed the leftover polish off his face with the cloth, scooping up the pile of finished shoes and wrinkling his nose at the unfinished ones. He almost tripped over his own feet as he rushed down the stairs, washing the laundry in the basin before he dumped it into the basket, carrying it outside to peg it onto their line. The bells rang insistently, and Yuzuru rushed inside with a basket of eggs. He started to put together breakfast before he brought it out, setting out the toast and cups for tea on the table. He sat down, finally having a chance to breathe, when Evgenia and Alina settled into the seats next to him. Both only sipped at their tea, completely blanking the food set out on the table, and the three kids all lowered their eyes when Eteri sat down by them. She took in Yuzuru’s flustered appearance, complete with messy hair and a small smudge of shoe polish on his cheek, before she tutted and started eating herself.

“Each of the bedrooms need cleaning. And the dishes need cleaning. Meals need preparing. Washing needs to be done, the gardening needs to be started on, and you must make sure Evgeni is alright.” Eteri slammed her hand on the table when none of the children looked at her. Alina jumped in shock, sloshing tea all over the front of her dress. “That’s another thing you have to clean up!” Eteri snapped at Yuzuru who buried himself in his tea further. “You’re worthless. You can’t do anything right, can you? Why are you wasting time here when you should be doing work?”

Evgenia gave Yuzuru an unreadable look as she pulled Alina into a hug tighter. The younger was trying desperately not to cry, clinging onto her older sister’s dress. Yuzuru stood, clearing away the plates wordlessly. He slipped into the kitchen, filling the basin with water.

“I’m sorry she’s like that,” Yuzuru turned, spotting Evgenia leaning against the doorframe. “She’s very… Uh… Has high standards.”

Yuzuru nodded, turning to the sink. “It’s okay. If um, if Alina wants, she can add her dress to the pile,” he gestured to the pile of washing already filling up the basket. “I’ll sort it out for her.”

Evgenia studied him for a moment, taking in his posture and expression. “You hate us.” She whispered.

Yuzuru looked at her, face softening. “I… No, I don’t hate you.”

“Why not then?” She asked, checking over her shoulder before she closed the door to the kitchen. “After everything that she--… We’re doing to you…”

“No,” Yuzuru shook his head quickly, “no, no, it’s not you and not Alina. You’ve done nothing but try to treat me with as much kindness as you can. I… I appreciate it. And… And it’s not bad. I can… It’s okay.” He smiled to her, setting the wet plates aside before he picked up the towel.

Evgenia took it from him quickly with a smile, picking up one of the wet plates. She started to dry them, setting them on the table quickly. “Tell me about yourself Yuzuru. Anything.”

Yuzuru looked at her, studying her for a moment. “Why do you wish to know?” He asked gently.

“Curiosity,” she shrugged, “and you always have a smile, no matter how much stuff is pushed onto you by…” She gestured to the doorway. Yuzuru, despite himself, actually smiled, when a knock on the door froze both of them.

The old wooden door creaked open and Evgenia almost collapsed with relief as Alina poked her head inside. The younger sibling shut the door quickly behind her, wearing a different dress with the old one bundled up in her arms. Evgenia smiled brightly at her.

“What are you doing here?” Alina asked, pure terror evident in her eyes. “If she finds you—”

“It’ll be okay,” Evgenia whispered, kissing the top of her sister’s head. “It’s alright. And I won’t let her hurt you.”

Alina hugged her tightly, shaking a little. “B-but… Seeing you get hurt…”

“I’ll be okay,” Evgenia promised her as she went back to drying the plates. “Oh, Alina, this is Yuzuru. Yuzuru, this is my lovely little sister Alina. I’m trying to help her stay away from,” she gestured to the door with a frown, “that.”

Yuzuru nodded in understanding, taking the dress from Alina. “Do you want me to wash it?”

“I can do it—” Alina offered but Yuzuru shook his head firmly.

“I’ll do it.”

Evgenia pushed Alina into a seat lightly before she looked over at Yuzuru again. “Please, tell us something about yourself.”

“There’s… Really not much to tell.”

“There’s got to be something,” Alina added. “Do you have any friends?” She asked.

“I-I… Um… N-not really…” Yuzuru mumbled, looking down into the water. “No… Do you two?”

“We…” Alina’s face fell a little as she thought more. “I-I…”

“No.” Evgenia said firmly, swallowing as she dried more plates. “We didn’t have any real friends.”

“I suppose that’s where we are similar then,” Yuzuru pointed out gently as he fed Alina’s dress through the mangle, turning it quickly to get a lot of the water out. “Mind fingers,” he said gently, moving Alina’s hand away from where it could have got trapped. “It could crush them.”

She moved her hands back and looked out of the window, looking out at the washing line with clothes already on it. “Do you ever wish you could leave here?” She asked him gently.

“No.” Yuzuru busied himself with his task, shaking his head. “No… I… No.”

“Why not?” Evgenia asked, putting the stack of plates away in the cupboard. She picked up the broom and started sweeping in the kitchen, helping Yuzuru.

“It… It has lots of memories,” Yuzuru confessed, “I can’t leave it just like that. Not yet. I’m not ready to let go.”

“Do you miss them?” Alina asked gently, patting Yuzuru’s arm. The man choked up for a moment, pausing his work as tears blurred his eyes. She hugged him tightly and he lightly placed a hand on her back, rubbing it in circles.

“S-so much…” he confessed, “I-I… Every day is hard… I-I… I miss them s-so—”

“And yet you still waste your time blubbering about it instead of working?” the three looked up to see Eteri in the doorway with a face like thunder. Evgenia moved to stand between her mother and Alina, and Yuzuru’s arms around the youngster tightened slightly. “How pathetic you are, Yuzuru. You’re worthless. Would you really want them to see you as you are now? You’re nothing more than a burden. You were a burden to them, and you’re a burden now. You’re pathetic.”

“Leave him alone,” a soft voice piped up. Evgenia paled and Yuzuru looked down at Alina in shock.

“What did you just say to me?” Eteri said, dangerously quiet.

Alina shook in Yuzuru’s arms, biting her lip hard. Evgenia blocked them but Eteri shoved her into the kitchen cabinet. Evgenia’s head hit the wall and she tumbled over, groaning in pain. Yuzuru looked up at Eteri, cradling Alina. For the first time, he realised just how immense her control over everything was.

“I said,” Eteri pulled Alina sharply from Yuzuru’s arms, “what did you just say to me?”

“N-Nothing! N-nothing, I-I’m sorry, I—” Alina stumbled backwards into Yuzuru’s arms again, holding her cheek.

“That’s what I thought.” Eteri glared harshly at both of her daughters. “Stay away from him, both of you. He’s nothing compared to us. Or compared to me. You can choose to be on his level, or on my level.”

Eteri glared at the two girls sharply. Alina, in tears, ran over to her, hugging her mother tightly. Evgenia pushed herself to her feet and, with a sad look to Yuzuru and a silent apology in her eyes, she too headed over to her mother. Eteri ushered the two girls out of the room before she glared at Yuzuru.

“Get on with it. Do not talk to them again. They are so much better than you will ever be, understand? You are a peasant, a servant, nothing. And that is all you will ever be. Now, get on with your work Yuzuru. I don’t want to see you until dinner.”

Yuzuru worked the rest of the day, keeping to himself as he finished off the other tasks dedicated to him. He cooked them dinner and served it, hiding away from the dining room as he folded up the washing and sorted it into separate piles. He washed up the dishes, took the clothes up to their respective rooms, and finished cleaning and polishing the shoes. Once he’d finally eaten, it was three in the morning.

Yuzuru stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at where his room would have been. He shivered slightly, thinking about the drafts up there, and so he picked up a spare blanket and a cushion, lying down next to the dying embers by the fire to go to sleep.

Yuzuru woke with a start as the bells for the servants started to ring wildly. He sat up, looking around before he rushed around, setting the table for four at breakfast. He ran out to collect the eggs and made toast and tea, setting it as well as a jug of water upon the table.

“Yuzuru,” Eteri narrowed her eyes at him with a frown as he poured tea for the rest of the family, “what’s that on your face?”

“M-madame?” Yuzuru looked at her in confusion before he touched his cheek lightly. Ash and cinders were left on his fingers, and he hastily wiped his face clean on a towel.

“The least you could do is clean yourself up before serving us breakfast. You’ll get cinders in our tea, and these two don’t need the extra calories, do you?” Eteri turned her focus onto Evgenia and Alina. Both girls shrank back slightly in their seats.

Eteri fixed Yuzuru with a glare as he finished laying the table before it melted into a cruel smirk. “Oh, Alina? What’s the Russian word for ash?”

Alina stiffened in her chair and looked up very slowly, tracing the rim of her cup with a finger. “Z-z-zola…”

“And what is that man’s name?” She said, not taking her eyes off Yuzuru.

“Y-Yuzuru…”

“From now on, we should call you Yuzola. Since you love being covered in ash so much.” Eteri grinned as she sipped at her tea. She then raised an eyebrow at the fourth place set at the table. “Who’s this for? Is there someone we’ve forgotten?”

Alina and Evgenia kept their heads down, and Yuzuru’s eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.

“I-I…”

“You?” Eteri smirked, shaking her head. “It’s too much to expect you to prepare breakfast, serve it, and then think you can still eat with us, isn’t it?” Eteri shook her head at him. “Besides, wouldn’t you prefer to eat when all the work is done Yuzola?”

Yuzuru swallowed, eyes widening as he glanced at the table. Little puzzle pieces clicked together in his head, and, under Eteri’s piercing gaze, he all but ran into the kitchen with the spare plates. He moved to place them on the table but dropped them, letting out a gasp and a little sob as the ceramic shattered on the floor. He held himself up on the table, covering his eyes and mouth to try and hide the small whimpers. Once they had died down a little, he looked up, catching sight of his reflection in the copper pot next to him. He didn’t look like himself.

Eteri’s words hit harder than Yuzuru thought they would. The man looking back at him wasn’t Yuzuru. He was Yuzola.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuzola steeled himself before he headed back out into the drawing room and main hall. He cleaned up the ash in the fireplace and mended it slightly before he stood up, looking in the mirror back at himself again. He didn’t look like himself; he couldn’t tell where his eye bags stopped and the ash and cinders took over. Tearing his eyes away, he shook his head to try and dispel his thoughts when he caught sight of the wall opposite the fireplace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone! Sorry this chapter is kind of long; I got a little carried away... There's some angst at the beginning of the chapter and then we finally get to meet a character we haven't seen yet (well, three, but one really key one). Not much else I can add other than thank you for all your support, and please enjoy this chapter!

Yuzola steeled himself before he headed back out into the drawing room and main hall. He cleaned up the ash in the fireplace and mended it slightly before he stood up, looking in the mirror back at himself again. He didn’t look like himself; he couldn’t tell where his eye bags stopped and the ash and cinders took over. Tearing his eyes away, he shook his head to try and dispel his thoughts when he caught sight of the wall opposite the fireplace. Hanging up there had always been a portrait of Yuzuru and his mother hugging. His father had insisted on having it painted.

_“But why?” Yuzuru half whined as he sat on his mother’s lap, hugging her tightly. She smoothed his hair lightly and kissed the top of his head gently._

_“Because it will make him happy,” she said gently, “and he’s always making us happy, isn’t he? It’ll be kind to let him have a picture he likes.”_

_Yuzuru nodded slowly, accepting her words as he hugged her tighter, holding still for the painter to capture the moment. His father had insisted on hanging it up in the main room because he loved it so much._

_“And besides,” he reasoned, “who wouldn’t want to see such a beautiful painting? It’s my favourite painting ever.”_

Yuzola caught sight of it and froze, breath catching in his throat as he couldn’t tear his eyes away. The painting that had served as the backdrop to so many beloved childhood memories had been defaced. His mother’s face, lit up with a beautiful smile and genuine love that was visible to any viewer, had large slashes in the painting over it, marring her. Yuzola covered his mouth hurriedly, silencing a sob as he looked over at his own face. It wasn’t even there. It had been burnt over, erasing him from the portrait. He touched the slashed sections of the portrait gently as a single tear slid down his face, cleaning some of the ashes off his cheeks.

“Do you like it?” Yuzola turned, catching sight of Eteri leaning against the doorframe. She walked towards him casually as she spoke. “You’ve been so distracted recently. I thought it was necessary to help you stop being so distracted.” Yuzola flinched as she touched the ripped sections of the portrait. “I can see where you get your appearance from. But it’s time to let go, Yuzola. She’s gone. She’s never coming back. I’m the lady of the house now.”

Yuzola swallowed and rubbed at his arm, willing his tears to stay unshed. She studied his reaction before she tapped the burnt section of the portrait. “This, Yuzola, is so that you know your place in his family. You’re so worthless to us, you’re so worthless in life, that we want no part of you outside of the attic visible unless you’re doing the work you need to do. You, Yuzola, are nothing.”

She wiped the traces of ash on her fingers harshly into his hair as she walked past and out of the room, leaving him alone in the centre. He touched the picture frame before he had to bite his lip hard, tears hitting him. He ran from the room to the stables, unable to properly breathe.

He climbed up onto the family horse and rode out into the forest surrounding the house, needing to escape from the house for a moment. He let his tears fall, cleaning his face almost completely from the tears. His horse slowed down and he looked up, eyes widening in amazement.

Standing before him was an elegant stag, standing tall with a serene grace. Yuzola couldn’t help but bow his head out of respect, approaching it very slowly on the back of his horse. He stretched out a hand, fingertips just brushing the fur on its nose, when several loud trumpets sounded, scaring Yuzola. The stag took off, running deeper into the forest, and Yuzola’s own horse took off in fright too. It was all Yuzola could do to stay upright as his horse galloped deeper into the forest out of pure terror.

“E-easy!” Yuzola shouted, tugging on the reigns to try and calm his horse down. “E-easy, it’s okay!”

A hunting party rode past him, scaring the poor creature even more, and he struggled with control again; trying to hold himself up was bad enough. One of the men from the party rode after him, gaining on him.

“Sir!” the man shouted in a heavily accented voice. “Sir, are you alright?”

He caught hold of Yuzola’s horse’s reigns and helped to slow it down to a trot, his own horse following suit. The Japanese man breathed a little sigh of relief and nodded.

“Yes. Yes, thank you, I’m fine.” His face fell into a fierce frown as he looked at the other, both their horses walking in a slow circle. “But you should leave him alone!”

“Who?” the other man asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“The stag!” Yuzola replied indignantly. The other man laughed as he continued speaking. “What’s he ever done to you that means you should chase him around?”

“I’ll admit, I’ve never met him before,” the other confessed with a little laugh.

“I met him just now! And, well, he looked into my eyes, and I just felt he had a great deal left to do with his life. That’s all.”

“Sir,” the mysterious man asked, “what do they call you?” he straightened the edges of his jacket made from fine cloth. Yuzola chewed his lip before he shook his head.

“Never mind what they call me. My name doesn’t matter really.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being hurt out here alone?”

“I’m not alone. I’m with you, Mister… Uh… What do they call you?”

“Well,” the other man thought for a second before he smiled, “they call me Javier. Or Javi. Well, my father does when he’s in a good mood.”

Both men chuckled slightly at that. Yuzola studied him for a moment more, taking in his deep brown eyes that reminded him very much of the stag’s, his strong jawline, and the light stubble on it.

“He’s teaching me his trade, you see. He works at the palace,” Javier continued, humming slightly. Yuzola’s eyes lit up.

“You’re an apprentice?”

“Of a sort I suppose,” Javier looked down, fiddling with his saddle.

“And, do they treat you well?” the Japanese man asked the other.

“Better than I deserve most likely,” Javier admitted, pulling his horse to a stop. Yuzola did the same, tilting his head at the mysterious man. “And you?” the apprentice asked.

Yuzola swallowed, lowering his eyes a little. “They… They treat me as well as they are able to.” He said finally, nodding and flashing Javier a little smile. “It’s not very bad. Others have it worse I’m sure.”

“I’m sorry,” Javier mumbled gently. Yuzola shook his head.

“Don’t apologise. It’s not your fault.”

“And it’s not yours either I’ll bet.”

“There’s no point in placing blame,” Yuzola said firmly. “We must… We just… We only need to have courage and be kind.”

“You’re right,” Javier nodded, patting his horse’s neck gently. “That’s exactly how I feel.”

The hunting trumpets sounded again, and luckily Yuzola got his horse firmly under control. He turned to Javier with wide eyes. “Please don’t let them hurt him!”

“But we’re hunting. It’s what’s done.”

“Just because it’s what’s done, doesn’t mean it’s what should be done!”

Javier raised his eyebrows. “I suppose not…”

“Then… You’ll leave him alone, right?”

“I will,” Javier promised, smiling.

Yuzola’s heart fluttered slightly and he looked down at his hands. “Thank you very much Mr Javi.”

“There you are!” Both Yuzola and Javier turned to see an older man sitting atop his horse, wearing a royal blue and gold tunic. “We’ve been looking everywhere Your—”

“Javi!” Javier cut in sharply. “I’m Javi! I’m on my way!”

“Well we’d better get a move on.” The other man said sharply back, noting Yuzola for a moment before he glared at Javier.

Yuzola smiled at Javier and patted his own horse gently. “I’m very glad to have met you Mister Javi.”

“And I you.”

Yuzola bowed his head before he set off galloping out of the forest. Javier watching him go before a goofy, slightly lopsided smile blossomed on his face and he rode over to the man who had called for him before, grinning like the cat that got the cream.

“You sound as if you’re the first person to ever meet a pretty young man.” The king said sharply, shaking his head at Javier as they walked through the palace hallways together. Javier sighed, adjusting his royal blue tunic slightly.

“He wasn’t just a pretty young man. He was sweet, and kind, and sensitive, and—”

“How could you know anything about him?” the king asked, half flopping into a chair as a doctor checked him over.

“You told me you knew right away when you met Mother. Right away!”

“That’s different. My father would have told me what I’m telling you now.” The king rolled his eyes lightly. “And I would have listened.”

The doctor whispered something to the king and the old man frowned, wiping the smile off Javier’s face too. The king waved the man away before he stood up, continuing his walk with Javier.

“Father,” Javier said softly, offering him his hand. The old king shrugged at him.

“Way of all flesh, Javi. There’s nothing we can do to really stop it.” He stopped, eyeing his son. “And punctuality is the key to success.”

“Father,” Javier said softly, taking his hand, “I have a favour to ask of you. Please.”

“Yes?” The older man asked, squeezing his son’s hand lightly as they walked down to the main hall.

“I… The royal ball… Please can we invite the whole kingdom? Not just those of nobility, but everyone?”

His father raised an eyebrow at him with a kind smile before he nodded. “Alright Javier. Just for you, and just this once.”

Javier bowed to his father before he was escorted out by the older man from earlier and the Grand Duke of the kingdom. The Duke started laying into Javier as soon as they were out of earshot of the king.

“I’m sure your father spoke to you about your behaviour in the forest—”

“Is it any business of yours, Grand Duke?” Javier responded, sarcasm seeping into his voice slightly.

“Your business is my business, Your Royal Highness.”

“Mm,” Javier made a non-committal noise. “Or something like that.”

The other man tapped the prince gently on the shoulder. “The painter is here for you Javi. Please don’t cause him any trouble.”

“Yeah yeah,” Javier sat down, taking his pose. “This, for about four hours?”

“You have fabulous cheekbones Your Highness. I can’t possibly produce a painting that truly does them justice.”

“And these will really be sent abroad?” Javier asked as he was arranged into a much less comfortable position.

“Oh yes Your Highness. To princesses.”

“Oh goodie.” Javier rolled his eyes.

Yuzola rode onwards, not home but instead to the market square outside the palace. He tied up his horse and took his basket as well as the little money he’d been given to try and buy some of their necessities for the week.

“Why do you stay there when they treat you so badly?” one of the old staff members asked him as they walked through the stalls together. Yuzola shrugged lightly.

“Because I made a promise to my mother and father. They loved the house, and so I want to stay there. I want to remember them. I… I’m not ready to let go of it just yet.”

The old staff member shook his head slightly when trumpets blared and a small collection of horse came to a stop at the centre of the square. A man with the royal emblem on the breast pocket of his tunic unrolled a scroll and bellowed out into the square.

“Know, on this day, two weeks hence, there shall be a Royal Ball! At said ball, the prince shall choose a bride or groom.” Hushed whispers ran through the crowd. “Furthermore, it is hereby declared that every maiden and young gentleman in the kingdom, be they noble or commoner, is invited to attend! Such is the command of our most noble king.”

Yuzola’s eyes widened and a smile blossomed on his face. He couldn’t care less about seeing the prince or marrying him, but Javier said he worked at the palace. He said goodbye to his friend before he finished buying the things for the family and rode back home, eager to tell his step mother and sisters about what news he’d heard.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuzola rode back into the courtyard, sliding off the horse. He patted its neck gently as he led it back to the stable, brushing it carefully before he set out some food and water for it. The animal drank as Yuzola finished sorting it out; with a satisfied nod, Yuzola picked up his basket and carried it through into the kitchen. He sorted the items, humming lightly under his breath as he impatiently went through his task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of feels like filler? There's not much actual plot going on here, sorry, and it's a bit shorter than I was hoping. The plot will resume better next chapter (hopefully) so yeah, please enjoy this and sorry it's not perfect xx

Yuzola rode back into the courtyard, sliding off the horse. He patted its neck gently as he led it back to the stable, brushing it carefully before he set out some food and water for it. The animal drank as Yuzola finished sorting it out; with a satisfied nod, Yuzola picked up his basket and carried it through into the kitchen.  He sorted the items, humming lightly under his breath as he impatiently went through his task. Once he’d finally tidied up the kitchen, he rushed out into the hallway.

“Evgenia!” He shouted up the stairs, all but bouncing at the bottom of them. “Evgenia! I have news! Important news!”

“Yuzola,” he froze for a second as the lady of the house spoke from behind him. He swallowed, good mood rising to the surface again.

“Madame! I have news!” he smiled brightly and her scowl darkened at him.

“I think everyone in the kingdom heard that you have news Yuzola. I think everyone on this continent heard you have news.”

Yuzola blushed a little from embarrassment but he shrugged it off as Evgenia and Alina came running down the stairs, stopping just before the bottom step.

“What is it?” Evgenia asked, a little out of breath. “What’s the news?”

“Not here. Go into the drawing room and you can tell us there.” Eteri interrupted, gesturing to the girls to follow her. Alina gave Yuzola a little wave as she passed him. The two girls sat on the sofa and Eteri stood behind them, glaring at Yuzola. “Well? Spit it out. You’ve wasted enough of our time as it is.”

Yuzola smiled brightly. “In the market earlier, some of the men from the royal household. They made an announcement from the king!”

“Yes, that’s nice Yuzola,” Eteri’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “now cut the rubbish out and tell us what they said.”

Yuzola had to force himself not to roll his eyes before he continued. “In two weeks from today, there’s going to be a Royal Ball in honour of the prince’s birthday!”

“Yes, great, what does that have to do with us?” Eteri snapped. Evgenia inhaled sharply.

“If you stopped interrupting him for a second, maybe you’d find ou—” Evgenia cupped her cheek, glare burning at Eteri.

“What have I told you about talking back to me?”

“Not to,” Evgenia mumbled, turning away from her mother to face Yuzola. Unshed tears were clear in her brown eyes, and her right cheek was bright red. Alina took her hand gently, rubbing the back of it with her thumb.

“Hurry up Yuzola,” Eteri snapped at him, admiring her nails as if nothing had happened. Yuzola shook his head slightly, giving Evgenia a very sad smile, before he continued.

“U-uh, and the prince said he’ll pick someone to marry at the ball. And… uh, everyone is invited, regardless of whether they’re of noble birth or they’re a commoner.”

Eteri stared at him for a moment, her usual scowl replaced instead by surprise. “Say that again.”

“The prince said he’ll pick someone to marry at the ball.” Yuzola said calmly. “And everyone is invited from the kingdom, regardless of whether they’re noble or a commoner.”

Eteri stared at him for a moment before she smirked, glancing down at Evgenia and Alina. “Hear that girls? The prince has invited you to the royal ball! Don’t you see? This is your chance!”

“Our chance?” Evgenia asked, raising an eyebrow at her mother slowly and cautiously. Eteri rolled her eyes.

“Yes, yes, your chance of course! Your chance to make the prince fall in love with you! Why, everyone will be vying for his hand, but I have two horses in the race you see! Our odds are doubled!” Eteri held their hands tightly, looking at the pair seriously. “Ensnare the prince’s heart. Do that, and we can unwind this stupid debt from which we were trapped when we came here.”

Yuzola rolled his eyes slightly and smiled at Evgenia, however his expression slipped into a frown when Eteri’s eyes fixed on him.

“Why are you still here?” She asked harshly, glaring at him. “Having delivered your news, shouldn’t you be off doing your chores?” She turned back to the girls, smiling at them like a snake about to strike. “I will call someone at once! We will arrange it, you see, and have three fine garments made—”

“Three?” Yuzola perked up, looking at Eteri with wide eyes. “That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“Thoughtful of me? You actually think that the other is for you?” Eteri stood up, approaching Yuzola slowly, “One garment for Alina, one garment for Evgenia, and one garment for me. Poor slow little Yozula, how embarrassing for you. Is that clear enough for you?”

Yuzola frowned slightly before he perked up again. “Wait. What if I make my own suit? If I can get something to wear in time, please, please let me go too!”

Eteri rolled her eyes and glared at him. “Fine. But go into the town and get this dressmaker,” she scribbled a name down on a slip of paper, “and hurry! Every girl in the kingdom will be chasing the prince! My girls have to stand out!”

* * *

 

In one of the large training rooms in the palace, Javier was sparring with the Captain of the Royal Guard, training his sword skills. The prince parried several blows as soldiers trained all around them, filling the room with little shouts and the clashes of metal on metal. The Captain expertly manoeuvred around the prince’s sword and knocked his out of his hand.

“You’re distracted, Your Highness,” the Captain said with a light chuckle as the prince picked his sword back up. “Why’s your head so in the clouds today?”

“I can’t stop thinking about him Brian. His cute smile, his beautiful dark eyes, his mysterious aura… I just want to know more about him, you know?”

“You don’t suppose he has a brother, do you?” Brian joked.

“I don’t know,” Javier said with a little chuckle as they two walked from the training area to the main hallway together.

“Well Javi, perhaps your mystery man may come to the ball.” Brian said gently. “That is why you threw the doors open to everyone, isn’t it?”

Javier glanced around before he nodded slowly. “Yes, but don’t tell anyone else that. It’ll be our secret.”

“Sure, sure.” Brian laughed, shaking his head slightly. “A prince may take whatever bride or groom he wishes.”

“Hah!” Javier laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah right.”

“Javi?” The Captain asked, raising an eyebrow at the prince.

“My father and the Grand Duke will no doubt have already picked someone out for me. I won’t have any say in the matter really.”

“Well,” Brian reasoned gently, “if this young man is as wonderful and charming as you say he is, he may be able to win them over?”

“Unlikely.” Javier shrugged. “They’re very set in their ways sometimes.”

“So are you when it comes to punctuality,” the Captain reasoned.

The prince rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "You'll never let me live this down, will you Brian?"

"Oh, absolutely not." the Captain said with a laugh as the pair continued walking up towards the prince's room.

* * *

 

Yuzola trudged up the stairs to his attic room late one night. He opened up his cupboard and pulled out the tray of needles and threads. He carefully picked up a pair of slightly tatty black velvet trousers and a pale pink top before he started sewing them together. Around him, Jun, Wakaba, and Satoko brought up some airy pieces of very pale pink, translucent, fabric. Yuzola sewed as much as he could each night and, when he eventually fell asleep from exhaustion, the three mice worked together to finish the section he had started, and they always tried to clean up the threads and needles so that he wouldn’t wake up with them on his bed.

Evgenia and Alina weren’t having much fun with their dresses. Eteri berated them both at every meal so much so that Alina flat out refused to even come down half the time. The girls’ mother had the dresses made for them, and she made Yuzola help them to get into them and try them on.

“Tie that corset tighter! Now!” Eteri snapped. Yuzola frowned, pulling a little more on the strings.

“Are you okay Evgenia?” He whispered. “I don’t want to pull it too hard in case it hurts you.”

“Don’t worry about me Yuzola,” she said softly, “just do what you have to do.”

Yuzola, with trembling fingers, pulled the strings tighter before he tied them off in a bow and handed her the dress. He then turned to Alina with a dry mouth and his heart in his throat. He pulled the strings very little and began tying it when she stopped him.

“Please. Tighten it, Yuz…”

“But it’ll hurt you.” Yuzola reasoned. Alina shrugged lightly.

“If she gets her own way and one of us is married off to the prince, then it’ll be like this every day of our lives. Please, I’d rather you didn’t get hurt trying to protect me. Please, please tighten it.”

Yuzola shook his head and Alina burst into tears, wiping her eyes. “Please! You both think you’re so brave all the time, trying to defy her and stand up for me, but have you ever considered how much I hate seeing you both get hurt? Every word she says to you, every slap and hate filled comment break my heart more and more each day. I don’t want to ever see either of you hurt again, so please, for me at least, tighten this corset.”

Evgenia hugged her sister tightly as Yuzola nodded, too choked up to talk properly. He tightened the strings, hating every moment as he tied them into a neat bow at the bottom of the corset and handed her the dress. He turned to Evgenia, straightening out some of the crinkles in it before he handed her the gloves that matched. He then helped Alina, wiping away some of her tears with a cloth handkerchief.

“Please, no more tears,” Yuzola said softly. “Smile, please, at least for Evgenia.”

Alina did smile every so slightly, but it dropped off when there was a sharp knock on the door. “Are you done yet? I want to see if those dresses fit you properly!”

Yuzola pushed them lightly out of the room, staying behind as Eteri scrutinised the girls’ dresses. Alina was wearing a dress with a black, sparkly, lacy top half with long sleeves down to her wrists. It dipped at her back and she had black gloves on to match. The skirt portion of the dress was red and came to her mid-thigh. Evegnia’s dress was blue with silver and dark blue gemstones and cloth patterns on the bodice. The skirt was made up of layers of the same blue fabric and pale pink fabric underneath, and she had short blue gloves that came to her wrists to match. Eteri nodded at the pair, still frowning somewhat.

“You look acceptable. You will have to work hard to get the prince’s attention tomorrow night.”

Yuzola, from the next room, thought about his own, finished outfit upstairs and his heart fluttered slightly. Maybe he’d be able to meet the apprentice Javier again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day came way too fast for Javier’s liking. After being poked awake by Brian at God only knows what time in the morning (“Nine Javier. You slept in until nine!”) he ate breakfast and made himself look somewhat presentable before he went to visit his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry there was no update yesterday, it was March the eleventh. I didn't want to upload so... yeah...  
> ANYWAY: This chapter! Shoma appears (yay!), Eteri is mean, and there is like 1K of Javier being fluffy at the start, so enjoy xx

The next day came way too fast for Javier’s liking. After being poked awake by Brian at God only knows what time in the morning (“Nine Javier. You slept in until nine!”) he ate breakfast and made himself look somewhat presentable before he went to visit his father.

“You’re late,” the older man said with a light chuckle as Javier sat down next to him in his room on the small sofa, “excited for tonight?”

Javier’s nose wrinkled a little and his father burst out laughing. “I see.” He patted his son’s shoulder lightly, smile drooping. “You… You do know why… Don’t you?”

“Yes,” Javier replied, holding his father’s hand tightly, “I understand why. It’s… I just…”

“That’s why I let you invite the whole kingdom.” The king squeezed his son’s hand. “I know love when I see it. You’re smitten with the young man you met a few weeks ago, but I can’t just say “Yes Javi, of course you can marry this random stranger.” The kingdom would riot over it! So that’s why I let you invite the whole kingdom. When he turns up, you can choose him then.”

Javier hugged his father tightly, nodding with his face hidden in his shoulder junction. “T-thank you…” he whispered softly. “T-thank you. I-I… I thought the Grand Duke…”

“Oh, he can go away,” his father said with a light chuckle. “It’s your life Javi. Not his. If he wants you to marry someone for the good of the kingdom then he can go whistle, can’t he?”

Javier chuckled and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. “Do you have to do anything today?”

“Sadly, yes. The life of a king, Javier, means getting up early. That’s a warning for you. I know you hate getting up early, but you’ve got to get used to it.”

Javier sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “When I’m king, I’ll decree that the day starts at midday instead.”

“It doesn’t quite work like that Javi,” his father laughed, patting his shoulder as they both stood up. “Go and have some fun today. I’ll cancel all your duties and everything.”

“You’re the best,” Javier said honestly, and his father kissed his forehead lightly as he pushed him out of his room.

“See you this evening!”

Javier bowed before he turned, heading down the corridor. He poked his head into each room, looking carefully under each piece of furniture. When he came to his own room, he glanced at his bed with a smile. Curled up under his messy bed covers was a large fluffy brown lump. Javier reached out a tentative hand and stroked her back lightly.

"Effie!" Javier cooed, and a fluffy head emerged from the fluffy lump, green eyes focused on the prince. "Effie, Princesa, how are you this morning?"

She purred softly and stretched out before she padded across the sheets to him, nuzzling against his hand. He smiled, sitting down on the bed to let her crawl up fully into his lap. She nuzzled against his chest and he kissed the top of her fluffy head, sighing.

"Wish I could have napped as long as you did Princesa. I was given the day off today to get ready for the ball. But I don't want to go to the ball, not really, if I'm being honest. I want to stay up here and play with you, or hide away in Mother's garden, or chat to Brian. I don't want to go to the ball and dance with princes and princesses and pretend that I'll ever love any of them because I...." He paused, glancing down at the cat for a moment before he continued, "I... I already know who I love... At least I think I love him. He's kind and funny and has really unguarded emotions, and he's not afraid to speak his mind, and... And the best part about him, Princesa, is that he doesn't even know I'm the prince!"

Effie mewed quietly, nuzzling against the light stubble across his chin. She looked up at him then with her large green eyes and the prince just smiled, kissing her nose.

"How come you always know just what to say Princesa?" Javier asked, half joking. "You're very good at listening. What do you say we go to the garden, huh? You can enjoy the rare April sunshine for a change."

Effie stood up, patting at Javier's chest and the prince laughed, picking her up like a baby. "Alright then Sweetheart. Come on."

The calico, even when placed on the floor, refused to move a single step. Javier rolled his eyes and scooped her up with a smile, scratching behind her ears lightly as he carried her along the corridors, chatting to her.

"Having fun there?" Javier looked up from where he'd been talking to Effie about different kinds of fish to see Brian standing next to him with a raised eyebrow and an amused look. "Oh, it's the hell cat. And Effie."

Javier tutted, shaking his head. "You shouldn't talk about the princess that way, Brian! She has feelings you know."

Brian raised an eyebrow at the cat suspiciously. "Yes, and I did have skin free of scratches until she came along. She should be nicer to me and I'll be nicer to her."

"Ah, but she's a princess Brian."

"And I'm Captain of the Royal guard!" The older man shook his head before he gave Effie a very tentative pat on the head. She swiped for his hand, claws out and everything, but she missed. "Anyway, I hear your father has given you the day to rest?"

"He has, yes," Javier laughed and nodded, bouncing Effie lightly in his arms as Brian opened the door for him that led out into the gardens.

"I see," Brian nodded, lingering in the doorway, "would you like me to tell people not to interrupt you?"

"I..." Javier paused for a moment, looking past the neat rows of trees and hedges before he nodded. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm going to be going _there_ Brian."

Brian nodded and patted his shoulder gently with a soft smile. "Sounds like a good idea. I'll come and get you for food if you'd like."

"Thank you," Javier mumbled softly before he turned away, carrying Effie further into the garden. She cuddled up to him more, purring softly as Javier walked past a row of high hedges. He walked through a rose covered archway that led into a smaller, private garden. A small fountain sat in the middle of the stone pathway, with several stone seats nearby. Roses and rose bushes decorated the edges of the enclosed area, and Javier sighed, setting down Effie on one of the seats next to him.

"I wonder whether he'll come tonight," Javier whispered to the cat who couldn't care less, "and, if he does, I wonder what colour he'll wear. I hope it's pink! No! Blue! A lovely dark blue and maybe some white too? Oh he'd look gorgeous in anything wouldn't he Princesa? Oh, you've never met him have you? Well, maybe you will. You'd love him, I'm sure you would. He's very kind and cares for animals. He wouldn't let me hurt a stag, so he would absolutely fall in love with you straight away."

Javier kissed her head before he sat back in the sun, closing his eyes and whispering to himself.

"Please, mystery young man, please. Please come tonight."

* * *

 

As evening came, Yuzola was called to help Evgenia and Alina back into their dresses. He helped them tighten their corsets again before he straightened out the fabric of their dresses that had gotten messed up. As they fiddled with their hair and makeup, Yuzola slipped up to his attic room and opened the wardrobe. With a bright, sunny smile, Yuzola quickly changed into his own suit.

"Girls! Come on! We'll be late!" Eteri snapped from downstairs as she preened at herself in the mirror, adjusting her own dress. Evgenia and Alina tentatively headed downstairs and she scrutinised them both with a frown. "Acceptable. You'll really have to work to get the prince's heart tonight you know."

Both ladies lowered their heads as they started to follow their mother out.

"Wait!" The trio looked up to see Yuzola standing on the next landing up. He had combed and tidied his black hair, and his brown eyes positively shone with happiness. He'd fixed up an old suit of his father's with material from a dress of his mother's and it suited him beautifully. The black velvet trousers fitted him perfectly, and Yuzola had attached a pale pink top half to it. The pink material dipped on his chest and a mesh of skin coloured fabric bridged the gap; the edges were lined with darker pink rhinestones. The sleeves were long, pink, and had translucent pale pink fabric attached. Yuzola looked like he had been crafted from cherry blossoms. "Please, wait!" he called again, half tripping over his slightly tatty black shoes as he rushed down the stairs.

"Yuzola, what are you wearing?" Eteri asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I-It was my father's old suit, and I used some of the fabric from one of my mother's old dresses to touch it up and add to it."

"After all I've done--"

"I don't want to ruin anything," Yuzola said softly, holding up his hands. "I-I... You see, I... I don't even want to meet the prince! I made a friend, and he works at the palace, and please, please let me go with you so that I can see him? I promise I'll stay out of the way, and I won't cause you any problems or anything, and--"

"You can't go," Eteri shook her head, sneering at him.

Yuzola's smile dropped. "I can!" He argued. "By order of the king!"

"It is the king I am thinking of," Eteri sighed as if she were talking to a toddler. "You'd bring shame to him by turning up to his party in... In rags."

"Rags?" Yuzola asked softly, looking down at his clothes. "T-these were my parents'!"

"Yes, I'm sure it has a lot of sentimental value to you," Eteri walked over to him casually, staring him down like a lion about to strike its next meal, "but your parents' taste was... questionable at best. This is so... Uh... Old fashioned." She raised a hand to hold up the fabric on Yuzola's sleeve. "Oh look. It's falling apart."

Eteri tugged and the sleeve ripped, ruining Yuzola's and the mice's sewing. She pulled on another part and the neckline ripped too.

"Stop it!" Yuzola shouted, stepping further back up the stairs to get away from her. It was too late for the clothes; shred were only hanging on by threads all across the suit. "W-why are you doing this?!"

"Because you are a disgrace!" Eteri snapped, raising a hand. Yuzola flinched back and she paused, glaring at him harshly. "I will not have anyone associate you with me. You, Yuzola, are nothing. That is what you are, and that is what you always will be."

Yuzola forced himself to calm down and catch his breath as Eteri turned, ushering the two girls out of the door. He sat down on the front steps of the house, head in his hands, as he watched the trio climb into the carriage and go off to the ball.

"I-I'm sorry Mother..." he whispered into his knees. "I-I'm sorry... I-I've tried to be strong and good and kind for you b-but... But I can't. N-not anymore... A-and I've tried to believe in magic for you, b-but I can't do that either... I-I--"

"Excuse me," Yuzola looked up to see a cloaked man leaning on a cane standing in front of him, "you wouldn't happen to have something to eat or drink, would you?"

Yuzola looked at him curiously for a moment and the cloaked man continued.

"Just a little crust of bread? Or better yet, maybe milk? Or steak if you have it, but I doubt you have that just lying around."

Yuzola nodded, wiping his eyes on his tattered and ripped sleeves as he headed into the back entrance of the kitchen. He prepared a cup of milk and cut some homemade bread. Along with a little butter and a jar of jam, he carried them out into the garden on a tray, handing them to the figure.

"I'm sorry, it's not very much," Yuzola mumbled to himself.

The cloaked man hummed a little as he sipped at the milk. "You may say it's nothing, but kindness makes it everything."

"Does it?" Yuzola asked under his breath. The other ignored him. as he finished his food and drink with a sigh.

"Now, Yuzuru, I don't have long, so tell me right now: what do you want?"

Yuzola raised an eyebrow at him. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The cloaked figure stood up. White light surrounded him, and Yuzola had to shield his eyes. The light dimmed and, where a cloaked figure once stood, there was a young man, a little younger looking than Yuzuru, with a strong jawline and messy brown curls that spilt into his eyes. He fiddled with the sleeves of his dark blue suit and smoothed out the black velvet trousers before he pulled a long blue wand out of his sleeve. "I, Yuzuru, am your fairy godfather, Shoma."

"I have a fairy godfather?" Yuzola asked softly. The fairy nodded before he grinned.

"Yes, you do. And you shall go to the ball, so come on! We don't have time to waste. Now!" the fairy started talking very quickly, so much so that Yuzola struggled to keep up with him. "We need a pumpkin. Have you got a pumpkin?"

"O-oh! Yes!" Yuzola smiled and headed into the greenhouse with Shoma. The fairy picked one and Yuzola rolled it outside for him.

"Flippity flappity flop!" Shoma waved his wand and promptly fell over. The pumpkin glowed gold and grew up bigger and bigger. The stalk twisted to form wheels and ornate golden decorations. As the magic melted away, a large golden carriage stood before Yuzola.

"Fantastic. Now, mice. Where where they? Ah! Flippity flappity flop!" Shoma ran after the mice, casting the spell as he tumbled down the stairs. The trio of mice froze before they grew taller, becoming three young people. Jun grew into a young man in a purple, lace accented, shirt with similar black velvet trousers to Yuzola and Shoma. Satoko stood shorter than Jun, but she smiled in her black and red elegant dress. Wakaba grinned brightly, wearing a blue and silver accented dress, and she and Satoko grinned.

"There, now, all we need is to fix up," Shoma gestured to Yuzola, "this."

"Huh?"

"Well, you can't go to the ball in something so... uh... broken."

"But it was my parents'! Please, don't change it too much."

"Well..." Shoma frowned. "What about blue and white and green? If I keep the trousers the same and the lightness of the fabric?"

Yuzola nodded and Shoma rolled up his sleeves. "Flippity flappity flop!"

The fairy tumbled over again as white light surrounded Yuzola. The pink costume glowed and the sparkles then melted away to reveal a costume made up of layers of white, green, and dark blue fabric weaved together. He gasped, touching the sleeves and gloves. "Thank you," Yuzola whispered as he began to climb into the carriage.

"Wait wait wait, what are those?" Shoma gasped, pointing at Yuzola's slightly tatty shoes.

"My shoes?" he asked.

"Take them off. I'm good at shoes."

Yuzola complied and the fairy cast one more spell, tumbling over again. Two white butterflies made of magic fluttered around Yuzola's feet, and glowed, forming two glass slippers.

"Glass?"

"You'll find it's really comfortable." Shoma nodded. "Now go! Your stepmother and the girls won't recognise you. Oh, and at the last echo of the last chime of midnight from the palace clock, all will return to what it once was. So... Yeah, keep an eye on the time."

"I will," Yuzola said, smiling from inside the carriage.

"Good," Shoma grinned, "and enjoy it, Yuzuru! For you shall go to the ball!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The palace glittered on the horizon as carriages pulled up by the open gates. Ladies and gentlemen stepped out in beautiful dresses and elegant suits, and they were admitted into the elaborately decorated ballroom. Candles were lit, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, large platters of expensive foods had been laid out on the numerous tables pushed up against the wall, and Javier lingered out of the way, hidden in the corner as he fiddled with the cuffs of his slightly open light beige shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Yet another chapter of this is done and here. This chapter is much longer than I planned, sorry! Javier is wearing his Man of La Mancha costume for reference. There is also a little bit of Shason in this chapter (finally!), a royal ball, dancing, Effie being sweet, and magic. I didn't use line breaks here because I kind of felt like the changes were too short to really need them. If it's not clear, please tell me and I'll change them.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you like this chapter!!

The palace glittered on the horizon as carriages pulled up by the open gates. Ladies and gentlemen stepped out in beautiful dresses and elegant suits, and they were admitted into the elaborately decorated ballroom. Candles were lit, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, large platters of expensive foods had been laid out on the numerous tables pushed up against the wall, and Javier lingered out of the way, hidden in the corner as he fiddled with the cuffs of his slightly open light beige shirt.

“Relax,” Javier looked up and smiled slightly at Brian. The older man patted him on the arm gently, adjusting the prince’s crown, “he’ll turn up. I’m sure he will. Just relax, and maybe find someone to dance with while you wait for him? The ball is meant to start with you picking a partner.”

“I’m not picking anything until he turns up,” Javier said firmly, and the Captain just laughed, shaking his head a little.

“Alright Javi. If that’s your choice, I’ll support you.” Brian hummed lightly. “Oh, Javi?”

“Yes?” The prince asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Happy birthday.”

By the entrance, two men were announcing those who had arrived to the ball. Javier listened, bored out of his mind, as hordes of young ladies giggled as they passed him, waving at him coyly. He waved back politely but disinterested. Eteri pushed both of her girls towards the men, handing one of them a slip of paper.

“The lady Eteri and her two daughters!” one announced before he looked down at the piece of paper again, raising an eyebrow as he continued. “The very clever Miss Evgenia, and the very beautiful Miss Alina.”

Eteri half shoved the girls down the stairs, scrutinising their every move as they both gracefully headed down the stairs, slipping into the crowd.

“Anyone take your interest Javi?” The prince’s father asked. Javier shook his head, slightly disrupting the crown balance precariously on his curls.

“No one. Sorry Father.”

“Oh no, it’s alright. I just wanted to see if your mystery man had arrived yet. I really want to meet him.”

“I promise to introduce you to him once I learn his name.”

Javier’s father choked on his glass of wine. “You’re in love and you don’t even know his name? Javier!”

“He knows mine to be fair. He didn’t want to tell me his and I respect that.”

The king nodded slowly, smiling a little. “So you respect his privacy. That’s very mature of you actually.”

Javier nodded slowly, fiddling with his hands, “I can’t marry someone I just met tonight.”

“And when he turns up, you won’t have to.” Javier’s father nodded.

Outside the palace, Yuzola’s carriage sped on past the carriages heading away. The guards held the gate open for him and the young man tripped over himself as he stumbled out of the carriage onto the steps of the palace. He froze in awe.

“What’s wrong Mr Yuzuru?” Jun asked gently from beside the golden carriage.

“I’m afraid Junnie,” he confessed softly. “I’m only a young man… I-I’m not a prince…”

“Enjoy it while it lasts, Mr Yuzuru,” Jun said, nodding his head with a little grin, “after all, I’m only a mouse, not a footman.”

Yuzola nodded, steeling his nerves, as he walked up the steps, glass shoes making small noises against the stone as the guards led him into the hallway. He fiddled with the dark blue sleeve of his top, swallowing thickly, as a set of double doors were opened for him. He stepped through them, eyes widening at the scene below the balcony he was on over the throne room. Even in the midst of the sea of people, even out of everyone, Yuzola’s eyes found Javier’s.

The prince’s heart caught in his throat and he had to remind himself to breathe. He was there! He’d come! With a quick smile to his father, Javier all but ran down the stairs from their separate balcony area to the main ballroom. Yuzola bowed low to the prince before he too ran down the stairs from his balcony to the main ballroom. The crowd parted to let him through, and he came face to face with Javier.

“Mr Javier,” Yuzola whispered, unable to hide his smile as his dark eyes focused on Javier’s. The prince sighed, smile taking over his own face.

“It’s you,” he sighed contentedly. “I-I-It’s you. You’re here.” Javier cleared his throat. “Your Highness, it would give me the greatest pleasure if you would do me the honour of joining me to dance.” He offered the other a hand.

Yuzola tentatively placed his hand in Javier’s, feeling the callouses from years of sword training, and the prince then placed his other hand on Yuzola’s slim waist. The pair started moving together, and Yuzola focused on Javier.

“They’re all looking at you,” he whispered to the prince. Javier chuckled, shaking his head.

“Oh, trust me,” he squeezed Yuzola’s hand, “they’re all looking at you.”

Javier led their dance and Yuzola let his free hand settle on Javier’s shoulder as they spun together around the space cleared for them on the dance floor. Almost everyone in the room glared at Yuzola enviously as Javier had eyes only for him, spinning him and guiding him elegantly across the room. Despite having never danced together before, the two moved beautifully in synch as they danced to the string waltz played live for them. Javier got brave at one point and lifted Yuzola, spinning with him in the air. Yuzola let out a small chuckle and the crowd applauded them. Much too soon for either of their liking, the music ended. Yuzola and Javier bowed to each other and the crowd applauded again, cheering for the pair.

“Who’s that?” Alina asked softly in awe, eyes not leaving Yuzola.

“I’m not sure, but this doesn’t bode well for us.” Eteri shoved both girls out towards the dancing space. “Get out there and turn the prince’s head! Now!”

“B-but… but no one’s asked us to dance!” Evgenia protested, struggling against Eteri’s shoves. The older woman rolled her eyes.

“Gentlemen!” a couple of men from around Eteri turned to look. “May I present my two lovely daughters.” Two offered Alina and Evgenia a hand to dance and, with a look from Eteri, they both accepted and were led out onto the dance floor.

Dancing didn’t help. Javier continued to dance with Yuzola and only Yuzola, keeping a hand on his waist as the music changed. People tried to get closer to them but no one could sway Javier’s eyes. Yuzola met his gaze very shyly and tentatively, and Javier leaned closer to him, whispering.

“Come with me.”

Yuzola let himself be led out of the ballroom into one of the upper rooms of the palace. Javier firmly shut the doors and Yuzola couldn’t help himself.

“So you’re the prince?” he gasped. Javier chewed his lip.

“Not “the prince”, exactly.”

“Is your name really Javier?”

“It is, I promise! Javier, or Javi, depending on what mood my father is in.”

“You said you were an apprentice!” Yuzola said with a pout that made Javier’s heart flutter.

“I am. I’m still learning my trade.”

Yuzola giggled and sighed, following Javier down a corridor. “Oh my gosh.”

The prince placed his hand carefully on Yuzola’s waist, smiling. “Please, come with me. There’s something I’d like to show you.”

Back in the ballroom, Yuzola’s arrival had thrown the guards into disarray. They hurriedly searched through the pile of notes on who had arrived, frowning at each and every one.

“Who is this mysterious man?” One asked, shaking his head. As his was distracted, he didn’t notice another young man slip past him into the ballroom, wearing a blue shirt with golden accents connected to black velvet trousers. He frantically flattened down his unruly brown curls as he lightly tapped a young man in green with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail on the shoulder.

“Ye—” the man in green’s eyes widened, “Shoma?” he asked softly. “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since—”

“Dance?” Shoma asked, offering him a hand, “I’m sorry I haven’t seen you Jason; I’ve been…. Busy.”

Jason accepted his hand and the pair joined the dance floor together. “What kept you away? I really missed you.”

“I know,” Shoma mumbled, resting his head against Jason’s chest, “and I can’t stay long tonight. I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to make sure Yuzuru’s okay.”

“Is he?” Jason asked. Shoma shook his head with a sigh.

“No, he isn’t. But he’s getting one night of happiness, so… I’ll try and do more, but I can’t interfere that much. You know… Fairy rules and all that.”

Jason nodded, hand resting lightly on Shoma’s back. “Well, I have you with me for now, so I don’t intend to waste a single second of it.” He kissed the crown of the fairy’s head, hiding his face in the other’s curls as they dance together slowly, ignoring everyone else on the dance floor as if the night belonged to them and them alone.

Outside, in the crisp April evening air, Javier led Yuzola past neat rows of shrubs and trees until they got to an archway covered in roses. The prince stepped back and let go of Yuzola’s waist gently.

“Please,” he whispered, gesturing to the archway. Yuzola stepped through it before he gasped, taking in the fountain, roses, stone seats, and Effie curled up on one of the seats.

“Kitty!” Yuzola lit up, sitting down next to her. He extended a hand to her slowly.

“Oh, that’s Effie, the princess of the palace. She doesn’t really like—” to Javier’s shock and amazement, Effie nuzzled up against Yuzola’s hand, purring loudly. She all but jumped into his lap and he happily complied with giving her cuddles and petting behind her ears gently.

“—strangers….” Javier rubbed his eyes but, when he opened them again, Effie was still behaving impeccably to the young man with him. “I don’t believe it. She never takes to strangers this fast. Maybe you’re special.”

Yuzola looked up from the calico to meet Javier’s warm eyes with his own wide ones. “Special?” he asked softly.

Javier nodded, eyes flicking to his lips just for a second. “Special.”

“You know,” Brian Orser mused as he walked with the Duke on one of the balconies overlooking the ballroom, “people are saying this man’s a prince. This could be a good thing you know.”

“Good how?” Morozov snapped at the Captain of the Royal Guard, unaware of Eteri lingering behind him, “Javier’s already a promised man. To Princess Miki.”

The gasp from behind shocked both men and they turned, spotting Eteri. She bowed her head quickly to them.

“I am so sorry gentlemen,” she said overly sweetly.

“No no,” Morozov smiled at her, “forgive us.”

“Your secret,” she went on, “is safe with me.”

Brian walked past the pair, shaking his head as he started looking for Javier again.

“I’ve never shown this place to anyone,” the prince confessed as Yuzola held Effie in his arms, looking around. “My mother had it put in specially, you see, and then she….”

“Passed away,” Yuzola filled in softly, “I understand.”

Javier nodded, gesturing to the private space. “She… I… It’s my favourite place to go when there’s too much to do, too many people trying to see me. It’s nice to come here and be able to clear my head sometimes. Just me and Effie.”

Yuzola nodded, letting Effie nuzzle against his neck. “I understand. I… I wish I had a space like this, where I could properly hide from everyone.”

Javier studied him for a moment, smiling. “You’re so mysterious… I like that about you. You’re guarded, you have secrets, but then again, we all do. You’re human, but you’re also kind and gentle, especially to Effie. I’ve never seen her take to anyone so fast before. I… Please… What do they call you?”

Yuzola glanced at him, eyes flicking down to Javier’s lips for the tiniest moment before they went back to his eyes. He swallowed and took a deep breath. “I—”

The clock struck and Yuzola flinched, looking up. His heart stopped.

_Midnight_

Inside the ballroom, Shoma froze too, looking at the time. He cursed under his breath for a second before he squeezed Jason’s hand.

“I have to go again. I promise I’ll be back.”

“When?” he asked, holding Shoma’s hand tightly.

“Soon, I swear.”

“Shoma…”

“Jason, you know why.”

“I-I don’t have to like it,” he mumbled.

Shoma, throwing caution to the wind, held onto the front of Jason’s shirt as he pulled him into a quick kiss. “I love you, Jason, and I promise you I am trying to find a way for us to be together. I will see you soon, but I must go now.”

Jason pulled him in for one last kiss before he let Shoma go, sighing as the fairy left his life once again.

Yuzola panicked when the clock struck midnight. He didn’t have long at all.

“I-I have to leave!” He tripped over his words as well as his own feet as he set Effie down on the bench. “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I-I…” he bowed his head to Javier before he took off running back towards the palace.

“W-wait!” Javier took off after him, earning a look from Effie who followed them both.

Yuzuru ran through the palace gardens, back through the ballroom where the crowd went into chaos again as his arrival. As Javier tried to push through the crowd to get to him, girls clung to him like limpets, begging him to dance. Yuzola ran up one more balcony, pausing as he spotted the king.

“Y-your Majesty, I… I would like to say that your son Javi is the best man I’ve ever met. He’s so kind and brave and… And he really loves you very much. Thank you for a wonderful ball. Excuse me!” He bowed his head quickly to the king before he took off running again towards the door.

Javier just rounded the corner as he saw Yuzola throw open the set of doors out of the palace and into the courtyard. The young Japanese man rushed down the stairs, spotting his carriage waiting, when one of his shoes slipped off, landing on the steps. He turned to pick it up, when he spotted Javier at the top of the flight of stairs. Glancing between the two, he shook his head and climbed into the carriage quickly. They took off towards home as the next chime of the clock struck.

“Go go go!” Yuzola shouted as they carriage set off towards home.

Javier scooped up the single glass shoe and watched the carriage go. “Captain!” He called to Brian who he knew was behind him. “Captain, my horse.”

“No,” Morozov interrupted, “this could be a trap to lure you from the palace.”

“If I die, I wouldn’t mind being killed by that man,” Javier said, holding the shoe tighter, “now, you heard me. Send out a group after that carriage then!”

As the duke rushed off, the Captain of the royal guard shook his head at the prince. “You know Javier, I was having a fine old time. You just had to go and choose that one, didn’t you?”

“What is life without a little adventure Brian?” Javier asked cheekily, grinning.

The duke and a small army of guards on horseback set off after Yuzola’s carriage. The young man shrieked when he spotted them, eyes widening in panic.

“No, no no no! Javi can’t see me without the magic!”

Thinking quickly, as the carriage headed through an archway, Jun pulled on the lever, dropping the portcullis down to stop the guards coming through. The clock continued to chime, and Jun, Satoko, and Wakaba became more and more mouse like by the second. As the last chime finished echoing, the carriage, just on the edge of Yuzola’s family’s estate, turned back into a pumpkin, and Yuzola landed on the side of the road, dressed back in his torn pale pink costume. The only evidence of the events of the night was the glass shoe he was clutching.

Yuzola sighed before he burst out laughing, scooping up Jun, Satoko, and Wakaba into the shoe. “You’ll find it’s very comfortable,” he said seriously as he walked back towards the house, barefoot as it started to rain. Nothing could dispel his good mood.

Once he got back to the house, Yuzola slipped on his tatty shoes and rushed up to the attic, hiding his glass shoe in his box of precious items under the loose floorboard. He rushed back downstairs into the kitchen as the front door of the house opened.

“Yuzu!” Alina called in, and Yuzola sighed happily as she poked her head into the kitchen. She too was smiling a little as she gave him a little wave. “Yuzu, please can we have some tea?”

Yuzola nodded, boiling the water as Evgenia and Eteri joined Alina at the table.

“You look happy,” Evgenia noted, “and… wet?”

“I took a walk in the rain to cheer myself up,” Yuzola shrugged lightly, “so, how was the ball?”

“A waste of time,” Eteri cut in before either girl could speak. Yuzola tilted his head at her.

“How so?” He asked softly, pouring tea into the cup for her.

Eteri snarled at the drink. “The prince isn’t available to marry for love. He’s been promised to another already. There was no way he was choosing a bride. She was already chosen for him.”

Yuzola’s heart sank a little but he nodded slowly. “I see. Well… You have fun?” He asked the girls.

Alina and Evgenia both nodded and, very soon, the three ladies went to bed. Yuzola cleaned up the cups and teapot before he rushed up to his room, writing down every single detail he could remember about the ball in his notebook. It was like he was telling his parents about his evening, and he hoped that he would be able to remember every single detail in the future. He hugged his notebook to his chest before he tucked it away in the drawer under his bed and got changed from his suit.

“Thank you Shoma,” he whispered to the night sky before he curled up in bed, heading to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Get Javier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter is really short compared to the others; I didn't want to add empty words onto it, so yeah, this is what you've got. This chapter is pretty much angst from start to finish, so sorry. The next chapter/ next few chapters, I'm not quite sure how I'll go pacing wise yet, should be happier (and may see the return of a certain fairy we all know and love). Nothing else to add except please enjoy xx

“Get Javier.”

The prince was poked awake sharply by the Captain of the Royal guard and, still in his pyjamas, he ran down the hallway to his father’s room. The prince stopped, taking hold of the king’s hand tightly as the older man looked at him sadly.

“You came,” he mumbled and Javier rubbed his thumb over his father’s hand, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him. The prince sniffed quietly, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

“Of course I came,” Javier whispered softly.

“I don’t have much time,” the king confessed, and Javier shook his head, tears running down his cheeks despite him wishing them away, “Javier, it’s okay. Death is a natural part of life. It’s alright. I’m… I’m ready.”

“I’m not,” Javier confessed, “I… I can’t… I need you…”

“It’s alright,” the king said softly. “Javier, you need to listen to me. I have to tell you something important.”

“What is it?” the prince asked, wiping away at his tears furiously.

“Marry for love.” The king said firmly to his son. “Marry for love, and don’t let anyone stop you marrying for love. Find that young man and marry him if he’ll have you. You looked properly happy for the first time in years when I saw you looking at him, Javier. You looked at him like… Like he was the most important thing to you. I liked seeing you like that Javier, and I want to go knowing that you’re going to look like that again.”

“Not without you here!” Javier protested, choking on his sobs. “I-I can’t…”

“Yes, you can. You’re a strong young man Javier.” He said firmly. “You will be a wonderful king, Javi.” He smiled weakly, eyes fluttering a little. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Javier whispered, and his father kissed his cheek gently before his hand went limp in Javier’s.

The prince sobbed openly before he hid his face in his hands. The guards and staff gave Javier lots of space before Brian came to collect him, looping an arm around his shoulders. The Captain led him away slowly, rubbing his back gently as he let the prince sob into his shoulder.

“I have to find him,” he mumbled, voice muffled by the older man’s shoulder. “I-it’s what he would have wanted…”

“Maybe you should take some more time to think about this?”

“No. I want to see him again Brian. Please, send out a decree, anything, please…”

“Alright,” the Captain conceded, patting Javier lightly on the back.

* * *

 

Yuzola smiled to himself as he paid for their week’s shopping at the market. Alina and Evgenia had accompanied him, and they helped him carry some of the cloth, when a royal carriage pulled up, stopping in the middle of the square. Yuzola instantly noted the black tunics the guards were all wearing instead of the royal blue of the kingdom. The speaker unrolled his scroll and cleared his throat.

“Dear people of the kingdom. Unfortunately, this morning, the king passed away.” Murmurs rippled through the crowd as the speaker started talking again. “The new king, King Javier, has declared his love publicly.” Some young ladies in the crowd shrieked and the speaker rolled his eyes. “For: the mysterious prince.”

Both girls faced each other and shrugged. The speaker carried on. “He will be searching far and wide for the man…” the Duke leaned over and whispered something in his ear before he continued, “… Or woman who fits the slipper left at the party.”

“Why are they trying it on the girls if they know it was a guy?” Alina asked as the trio walked home together, humming a little, “it seems a bit silly, don’t you think?”

“And don’t you think that the Prince… King would be able to tell who it was by looking at them?” Evgenia asked too. Yuzola shrugged.

“Maybe the King can’t remember and he’s checking everyone just to be sure.”

Once they got home, Yuzola sorted out the items as Eteri all but snatched the girls away, moving them out of his sight. He almost vibrated where he stood with excitement, and, as soon as he was one with his chores, he all but ran up the stairs to his room, lifting up the loose floorboards. He picked up his box of treasures, freezing.

No slipper.

Yuzola moved the photographs, looked underneath the box in the gap in the floorboards, rubbed his eyes in case he was dreaming, before he frowned, brow furrowing as he thought.

“Are you looking for this?” The hair on the back of Yuzola’s neck stood up and he slowly raised his eyes from the box on the floor. Eteri was leaning against the far wall, holding up the glass shoe. “There must be quite a story behind it. Won’t you tell me how a grubby thing like you got hold of something like this?”

Yuzola stood up, throat dry, as he remained silent, eyes fixed on the shoe. Eteri rolled her eyes, waving it around.

“No? Okay then. I will tell a story instead. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl who married for love. She had two lovely daughters with this man. All was well, but, one day, her husband, died. And so this beautiful young girl, who had grown into a woman instead, married again one day. Instead of for love, this time, she married for the sake of her daughters. But then cruel fate took that man too away from her. And so, every day, she was doomed to look upon his beloved child, one of beauty and elegance so fine and rare that he turned the prince’s head before this woman could marry one of her pathetic daughters to him. His head was turned by a boy. A boy with glass shoes.” She held up the slipped and Yuzuru swallowed again, eyes widening in panic. “And so, Yuzola, I lived unhappily ever after. My story would appear to be ended, but there’s always a way to change the ending. My final chapter hasn’t been written yet, so tell me: did you steal it?”

Yuzola shook his head, throat too dry to properly talk before he cleared it. “N-no… No, it was given to me.”

“Given to you? Nothing is ever given for free. For everything you have to pay in some way or another.”

“That’s not true!” Yuzola said softly. “Kindness is free. Love is free.”

“Love is not free,” Eteri snapped, standing up. “Now, here is how you will pay me for keeping you in this house when I should have thrown you out months ago. If you are going to have what you desire, here’s what you have to do.” She walked closer to him, meeting his warm brown eyes with her cold glare. “No one will believe that you, a disgusting, filthy serving boy without a family could be the mysterious young man if you lay claim to the prince’s heart. However, if a respectable gentlewoman,” she gestured to herself, “was to put your forward, you would have credibility, and people would believe you. Then you could have what you wanted. In return, you will make me the head of the royal household.”

Yuzola’s heart stopped for a full second and he looked up at her in confusion. “W-what?” He whispered.

“You will make me head of the royal household.” Eteri repeated simply. “Evgenia and Alina we will pair off with wealthy lords, and I will manage that boy.”

“He’s not a boy,” Yuzola protested.

“And who are you to defy me? If we do this, then we all get what we want.” She pushed past him, tossing Yuzola’s shoe idly in her hands before she placed a hand on the door handle when Yuzola came to his senses properly.

“No.”

“No?” she asked, turning around, raising an eyebrow at the defiant young man before her.

“No.” he repeated with a surge of courage. “I-I couldn’t protect my father from you, but I will protect the prince, and the kingdom.”

Eteri’s eyes narrowed at him and she shook her head. “Well that, Yuzola, is a mistake.”

She slammed the shoe against the stone wall, shattering the glass across the floor. Yuzola gasped, dropping to his knees as his evidence for his claim was broken.

“N-no! No! W…Wh… Why? Why are you so cruel? I don’t understand it! I’ve tried to be kind to you.” He asked, covering his mouth to hold back his sobs. He looked up at Eteri and she smirked slightly at his wide, tear filled, broken brown eyes.

“You?” Eteri looked down her nose at him, “kind to me?”

“Y-you’ve treated me like… Like—”

“Like nothing more than you deserve.”

“No! You’ve treated me like a slave, with no respect or anything. I-I… Why? Why do you do it?!”

“Why?” She asked, holding the last solid piece of the shoe. “Because you are young, and innocent, and good.” She shook her head, slamming the door to the attic. She locked it firmly behind her and Yuzola leaned against it sobbing, ignoring the shards of broken glass digging into his legs.

* * *

 

“You found this where?” the Duke asked, holding up the shoe fragment. Eteri met his eyes dead on, not looking away.

“A ragged serving boy in my house.”

“So the mysterious prince is a commoner.” The Duke concluded with a frown.

“You can imagine when I discovered his subterfuge how horrified I was.” Eteri nodded seriously.

“Have you told anyone else?”

Eteri shook her head. “Not even my own daughters.”

“You’ve spared the kingdom a great deal of embarrassment.” The Duke admitted before he scrutinised Eteri further. “So, what do you want for your silence?”

“I would like to be made a countess,” she said firmly, “and I require advantageous marriages for my two daughters.”

“And the boy?”

“Oh. Do with him what you will.”

“Done,” the Duke shook her hand, “and then no one has to know about this.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where did you find this?” Javier asked, holding up the chunk of broken glass that clearly used to be the heel of a shoe.
> 
> “Abandoned by the side of the road,” the Duke met his eyes firmly.
> 
> “And have you found him? The prince? The man?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, penultimate chapter here. I don't really know what to say other than I probably won't be updating tomorrow (I might, I'm not sure). This chapter isn't paced very well and I'm sorry about that. Please enjoy though x

“Where did you find this?” Javier asked, holding up the chunk of broken glass that clearly used to be the heel of a shoe.

“Abandoned by the side of the road,” the Duke met his eyes firmly.

“And have you found him? The prince? The man?”

“No.” The Duke snapped and Javier frowned, slumping forwards in his throne. “Perhaps this is a sign that he’s not the one you need.”

Brian shot Morozov a look before he patted the king’s shoulders. “Don’t lose heart Javi.”

“On the contrary.” Morozov cut in, glaring at the king. “Lose heart and gain wisdom. This king needs stability, and you need a queen.”

“What are you—”

“The king needs a queen, and the kingdom needs an heir. They want to face the future with certainty.” Morozov cut the king off, standing in front of the throne with a glare. “Marry Princess Miki. Forget about this stupid boy who clearly doesn’t love you enough to tell you who he is.”

Javier stood up abruptly, glaring at Morozov with eyes of thunder. “Take that back. Now.”

“Easy gentlemen,” Brian pushed Javier back into the throne lightly before he pushed Morozov away, creating a space between them.

“If you want to face the future with certainty, then I agree. Let’s be certain on one thing: I am king. I say we shall seek out the mystery prince. Even if he doesn’t want to be found, I have to see him again, clear?”

Morozov’s eyes darkened at the king. “And what if he’s not found? Then what? For the good of the kingdom, marry Princess Miki.”

Javier lowered his eyes before he nodded slowly. “If he is not found, I will marry the princess. But you, Duke, must leave no stone unturned. You will spare no effort on your search, you and Brian. You will do everything you can to find the person who fits the shoe. Hell, try it on everyone in the kingdom! Male and female for goodness sake to be on the safe side! But try it on everyone, and I mean everyone. Check.”

The Duke bowed to the king and turned, walking out of the throne room, followed by the Captain of the Royal Guard, with an ill-concealed smirk on his face.

“Brian,” the captain stopped and raised an eyebrow at the king, “I need you to do me a favour.”

“What can I do for you Javier?”

“You can’t tell him about this,” the king said and the captain nodded, sitting down next to him before the king started speaking softly.

 

Shoma walked slowly around the town centre yawning, cloak over his head to disguise his identity, when a group of men with the royal crests on their breast pockets rode past him. He raised an eyebrow at the group before curiosity overtook him and he flew after them. They stopped in the main square and one of the men unrolled the scroll.

“People of the kingdom! The king has decreed that he will by trying the glass slipped left behind at the ball. Therefore, you are all required to present yourselves to the royal guards when they come to your estate or local area. Each and every man and woman in the kingdom will be required to try this shoe on.”

The kingdom went into panic almost immediately and Shoma’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. Whilst several guards went around to the corners of the kingdom to spread the word, the people around the square shoved each other as they got into some sort of orderly line. Shoma slipped past the others to the front where the first young lady had kicked off her shoes, ready to try the slipper on.

“Oh hell no,” Shom whispered before he pulled out his wand, waving it at the shoe. “Flippity flappity flop!”

He fell over just standing still, but the magic hit the shoe and shrunk it slightly. The girl put her foot in and frowned, pouting as her heel clearly didn’t fit. Brian and Morozov exchanged a look.

“Next!” Snapped the Duke.

The young lady stood up and the next person, a taller man, sat down instead. Shoma returned the shoe to its normal size, Yuzuru sized, and the guy tried it on. It barely came up to halfway along his foot.

“Next.” The Duke rolled his eyes and Brian sighed. This was going to be a very long day for him.

“It does fit!” A girl protested, trying to force her foot into the shoe.

“No it doesn’t.” Morozov snapped, rubbing his temples.

“Yes it does! Look, it does!”

“Your heel is half hanging out.” The Duke glared at her. “Take the shoe off her.”

“No no no, don’t take the shoe from me! Don’t take it from me, it’s mine! It’s mine!”

Brain took the shoe from her with a gentle smile, patting her shoulder lightly before he placed the glass shoe carefully back inside the suitcase. “Where to next?” he asked Morozov. The Duke looked down his nose at the guard.

“There are some families further away from the main town centre. We will go there. There’s one estate near the edge of the forest. We can go there.”

Brian raised an eyebrow at the Duke before he climbed onto the back of his horse again. The group set off towards the forest.

“We haven’t found the man. I’m disappointed for our king.”

“Oh, come on now Brian. Don’t lose heart.” Morozov smirked as the group followed the path deeper into the forest, looking up in awe as Yuzola’s family estate came into view.

Yuzola had fallen asleep slumped against his door at some point in the night, and he’d woken up with a stiff back and joints. He stretched out as much as he could before he cleaned up the broken glass on the floor, ignoring the pain in his heart. Jun, Wakaba, and Satoko opened the window for him, and he hummed quietly to himself as he busied himself with a book, trying to think of anything other than the shoe. He heard horses outside, but he paid little attention to them.

“Evgenia! Alina! Get down here now!” Eteri shouted up the stairs, and the two girls tripped over themselves to get to the bottom of the stairs before she got angrier with them. They sat down in the drawing room together as Eteri opened the doors of the house.  “Gentlemen!” she smiled brightly, bowing her head to Brian and Morozov. “Please, this way.”

She led them into the drawing room where Evgenia and Alina were sitting. Evgenia drummed her fingers on her knee, looking anywhere but at the door, and Brian slowly approached her, opening the case and offering her the shoe.

“Miss? Please, try this on?”

She nodded, slipping off her own shoe. Shoma, from outside, made the shoe shrink a little more so it didn’t come over Evgenia’s heel.

“What a shame,” she rolled her eyes and Eteri hissed at her. Morozov held up a hand.

“Maybe you should try again?” he suggested.

“It’s not going to change shape. It’s glass.” Brian said to the Duke with a frown.

“Too right it’s not going to change shape.” Shoma whispered to himself, sending a wave of magic to knock Morozov’s hat off onto Evgeni the cat. He let out a shriek at being randomly hit and he bared his claws, reducing the hat to a shredded pile of fabric in seconds. Brian had to hide his laugh behind a fake cough.

“Well,” he took the shoe back from Evgenia before he offered it to Alina. “Miss, it’s your turn now.”

Alina glanced over at Evgenia. The older took her hand gently and rubbed the back of it with her thumb.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, “trust him. He’s kind.”

Alina nodded and smiled at Brian gently. Shoma raised his wand with a sad smile, sending out another little wave of magic at the shoe. It shrunk again, but only a little, so that Alina’s foot was just slightly too big for it.

“Oh, come on, she’s basically fitted into it!” Eteri protested. “The shoe has changed shape after all.”

“It’s glass.” Brian pointed out again with a deadpan expression on his face. “It doesn’t just randomly change shape. It’s glass.”

“Yes, you’ve made the point that it’s glass about eight times.” Morozov snapped. “I’m sorry Ma’am. Our task is done Brian. We have searched everyone in the kingdom.”

Eteri placed a hand on each of her daughters’ shoulders. “But fate may yet be kind to us, girls.”

The Captain and Duke sighed, bowing politely to Eteri as they turned to go. As the Duke swung his leg up onto his horse, Brian paused for a second. Yuzola’s singing came clearly through his open window into the courtyard.

“Ma’am,” Brian said firmly to Eteri, “have you no other maiden or gentleman?”

“No,” Eteri looked at him in disbelief and surprise. Brian raised an eyebrow at Evgeni.

“Then has your cat learnt to sing?”

“It’s nothing. Probably Evgenia singing again.” Eteri dismissed Brian’s fears.

The Captain narrowed his eyes at her when the Duke cut in. “Brian. We’re going.”

“But she’s lying.”

“Nonsense!” Morozov scoffed. “I trust the lady.” He smiled at her and Brian didn’t miss the smirk on her face. “We’re leaving.”

“Grand Duke,” Morozov turned to see Javier removing one of the royal hats and cloaks, “I thought I told you to spare no effort, and leave no stone unturned?”

“Your Majesty…” Eteri breathed as Javier slid off his horse.

“What sweet singing.” Javier mused aloud. “I want to meet the singer. Bring him down please Brian.”

“It would be my pleasure, Your Majesty,” Brian bowed with a smile to Javier.

“You will not like what you see,” Eteri warned as she started up the spiral staircase, followed by Brian.

Yuzola stopped singing when the lock in the door clicked and the wooden door swung open with a creak. Jun, Satoko, and Wakaba scattered, and he hid himself in the corner as best as he could.

“There!” Eteri walked into the room and Yuzola looked away from her quickly. “You see? I told you that there was no one of any importance up here.”

“We shall see.” Brian said to her simply before he turned to Yuzola. “Sir.”

Yuzola bowed his head, fixing his eyes away from Brian’s, admiring the floor instead. The Captain smiled at him kindly.

“You are requested and required to present yourself to your king.”

“No.” Eteri said firmly, stepping in between the two of them. “I forbid you, Yuzola.”

“And I forbid you to forbid him. Who are you to stop an officer of the king?” Brian asked, coldness seeping into his voice. Eteri stood up tall and glared at Yuzola, looking him firmly in the eye.

“I’m his mother.”

Yuzola’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head, stepping closer to Brian. “You never have, and you never will be my mother.” He said firmly.

Brian smirked slightly at Eteri as he turned to go. Yuzola held his head up high as he walked past Eteri and down the stairs. His small wave of courage dissipated, however, and he was soon hit with nerves as he caught sight of himself in the mirror, messy black hair and slightly grubby clothes and cheeks. Would this really be enough before the prince?

Yuzola passed the Duke in the hallway, respectfully bowing his head to him, before he continued into the drawing room. Javier was studying the edge of the mirror when he turned, words catching in both of their throats momentarily. A small smile blossomed on Javier’s face as Yuzola bowed to him.

“Who are you?” Javier asked finally, breaking the silence.

“I’m Yuzo--… Yuzuru.” He walked closer, words spilling out. “Y-your Majesty, I’m not a prince. I have no parents… Two step sisters I adore, no stable life… Nothing I can offer you properly other than my love. If it does fit, will you take me for who I am: an honest country boy who loves you?”

Javier smiled and gestured to the sofa. “Of course I will. But only if you take me too for who I am: an apprentice, still learning his trade.” They both smiled at the familiar words as Yuzuru sat down on the sofa next to Alina.

He toed off his shoes and Javier knelt down. Yuzuru held his hands together tightly as the king slipped the shoe onto his foot. It fitted perfectly, and Javier couldn’t help but let out a little breathy laugh. He stood, offering Yuzuru a hand up. His other hand found Yuzuru’s waist and they both leaned in, eyes fluttering shut.

“Kitty!” They both turned to see Alina cuddling Effie tightly. “Aww, look at how cute you are!”

“Effie?” Javier raised an eyebrow. “When… What… How did you get here?”

Yuzuru offered a hand to her and she sniffed at him before she nuzzled up against his hand. “Aww. She’s so cute!”

“You must be him. She fell in love with you then and she loves you to death now.” Javier laughed lightly before Yuzuru took the shoe off, holding it as he put his other back on, and he and the king headed towards the door.

As Javier’s fingers brushed the door handle, Yuzuru paused, looking out of the window. “Thank you, Shoma-kun,” he said softly to the fairy, who just grinned at him. He then looked up the stairs to where Eteri was staring at him with a clenched jaw.

“I-I… I forgive you,” Yuzuru said softly.

“You’re joking, right?” Evgenia piped up. “After everything she put you through, you’re just going to forgive her?”

“Yes.” Yuzuru said firmly. “You never win by fighting hate with hate. You must counter hate with love to make the world a better place.”

Brian smiled at Yuzuru and Javier, and the pair left the building together. The Captain escorted out Evgenia and Alina too, leading them to horses, and Eteri and Morozov were guided out by guards. Javier took Yuzuru back to the palace and showed him everywhere they hadn’t had time to see at the ball. In the privacy of Javier’s own room, he offered Yuzuru a golden ring with a diamond set into it.

“Y-yuzuru… I…”

“Yes.” Yuzuru said softly. “I… Yes, absolutely.”

Javier hugged him tightly, and they finally shared their first kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuzuru stayed in the palace with Javier while they planned their wedding, and he slowly started to get used to royal life. Brian initially insisted that they slept in separate beds to begin with and, to everyone’s surprise, Effie chose to sleep not on Javier’s bed but on Yuzuru’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are! The final chapter! This is literally just 2K of fluffiness, cats, a wedding, Shason, and more fluffiness. A character we saw ages ago also returns, see if you can guess who it is (no spoilers K1mHeechu1!!)
> 
> Big thank you if you've made it this far in the story; I doubt I would have kept writing without your support. Please enjoy this final chapter. I have no idea what I'll write after this xx

Yuzuru stayed in the palace with Javier while they planned their wedding, and he slowly started to get used to royal life. Brian initially insisted that they slept in separate beds to begin with and, to everyone’s surprise, Effie chose to sleep not on Javier’s bed but on Yuzuru’s. Yuzuru didn’t mind; he enjoyed stroking her fur gently as he sat in the unfamiliar room the first night he was in the palace.

“Is this really going to be my home Effie-chan?” He mumbled, kissing the top of her furry head. She purred at him, nuzzling against his hand. “I love Javier, I really do, but I don’t… What… Should I really be living in the palace? A boy like me?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes that looked so very familiar to him. Yuzuru’s heart caught in his throat for a moment as he studied her face and eyes carefully. The moment passed and she purred up against him again, hiding her face in his chest gently as if to say “you’re worrying for nothing Yuzuru. You deserve this.”

Yuzuru slipped out of his room with Effie still in his arms, and he bumped into Evgenia and Alina on the landing. Alina instinctively petted Effie’s ears, smiling brightly at her, and the trio chatted.

“How are you both?” Yuzuru asked kindly. “That dress looks lovely on you Alina.”

The youngster smiled at him before she turned her attention back to the cat. “Thank you. Mister Orser said they’d get some new dresses for us tomorrow. These were the best they had for today.”

“He said we can call him Brian,” Evgenia correctly gently, arm around her sister’s shoulders. “And he seems very kind.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” the group turned to see Javier standing behind them with a smile. The prince tried to take his cat off Yuzuru but she pressed herself closer to his chest. Javier rolled his eyes. “Please, this way. We weren’t sure what you’d like for dinner so we went with some traditional Spanish food.”

The four of them sat at a small table together with Yuzuru next to Javier. Alina sat opposite to the Japanese man, and Yuzuru chuckled as Effie protested at being set down.

“Sorry Effie-chan,” he whispered, “but it’s bad manners to eat with a pet on your lap, you see? In my old home, I would sit and eat with Jun, Satoko, and Wakaba-chan on my lap. They’re all upstairs, but I would be told off all the time for sitting with them too. So please forgive me Effie-chan, but my father wouldn’t have liked me eating with you on my lap.”

Effie looked him in the eyes firmly, and Yuzuru’s heart fluttered again, before she seemed to nod. She turned and left the room casually, and Yuzuru’s eyes were fixed on her as she went.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Javier mused aloud as the group started to eat. Yuzuru encouraged his sisters lightly to eat before he went back to listening to his fiancée. “She never takes to strangers very well. She still doesn’t really like Brian to be honest!”

Yuzuru chuckled lightly, watching the door.

Effie barely wanted to leave Yuzuru alone. He and Javier were walking in the garden together when they sat down in Javier’s mother’s garden, enjoying the comfortable silence. Javier looped an arm around Yuzuru’s shoulder and rubbed his back lightly as they listened to the birds singing and the rustling of the leaves from the wind.

“Princesa?” Yuzuru followed Javier’s gaze to see Effie walking along the bench.

A branch brushed the top of her head, and both she and Yuzuru looked up at it. She then met his eyes before she stood on her hind legs and bit into the twig, snapping it off. She carried the broken piece of branch over to the pair and placed it down on Yuzuru’s lap.

_"I would like you to bring back the first branch that brushes your shoulder on your travels."_

_His father raised an eyebrow at him. "That's an... That's an interesting request Yuzuru. Are you sure I can't tempt you with something like jewels, or clothes, or gold?"_

_"No," Yuzuru said firmly. "You can't tempt me with anything else. Because, when you get brushed on the shoulder with it, you will have to take it with you for the rest of your travels, and remember me, and think of me the whole time you are gone."_

“-zuru? Yuzu?” Yuzuru looked up to see Javier’s concerned eyes. “Are you alright? Y-you… you’re crying. Is something wrong?”

“No,” Yuzuru whispered, hugging Javier tightly, “n-nothing’s wrong. I… I think now… I think everything is right.” He glanced down at Effie with a smile. “Javi, when’s her birthday? When was she born?”

Javier thought for a moment. “Uh… September? Yes, September the twenty ninth. I think she was born in the evening too?” He glanced over at Yuzuru, face softening as he raised a hand, wiping away his tears. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” Yuzuru whispered into Javier’s shoulder, “I-I… N-nothing… Just… reminded me of something.”

 Javier kept an arm around him, and Effie jumped up into Yuzuru’s arms as they walked back to the palace together. Yuzuru fiddled with the branch idly, glancing down at Effie repeatedly.

Their wedding day approached rapidly, and, before Javier could really register what had happened, he was standing at the alter with Brian and Jason next to him, waiting for Yuzuru to arrive. He cleared his throat, smiling to the Captain and his best man.

"When do you think he'll get here?" Javier asked and the captain chuckled.

"Soon. Don't panic Javi." Brian said gently.

"I'm not panicking. Well, I am, but just about whether I'll die from seeing his beauty."

Jason chuckled lightly and patted Javier's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll live."

A golden carriage stopped outside the doorway, and a tall, young man with voluminous black hair and a kind smile opened the carriage door. The two ladies with the carriage offered the man inside a hand, and Yuzuru stepped out with their help. Effie jumped out too and pawed at his leg until he gave in and scooped her up, holding her carefully along with his bouquet of flowers. He smiled to the three youngsters as the two ladies helped Evgenia and Alina out of the carriage too.

"Ready?" Evgenia asked him gently.

"As I'll ever be," he confessed, and she looped an arm with his.

"You'll be fine Yuzuru," Alina said with a smile, taking his other arm. "He loves you and you love him. How can love be wrong?"

"Exactly," Yuzuru said with a sigh, "how can love be wrong?"

Yuzuru then swallowed and Jun, as a human, opened the door for them into the hallway.

Javier looked up as the doors opened and his heart caught in his throat. Yuzuru had looked stunning at the ball, but now he looked incredible. The royal designers had outdone themselves; the white material dipped at his chest slightly and the edges of the dip were adorned with flowers and rhinestones. The back, unknown to Javier, dipped much lower, pointing to the bottom of Yuzuru's spine. The white, feathery shirt was attached to black velvet pants that highlighted the areas that made Javier's breath catch in his throat. The young Japanese man also had a flower crown of white roses placed delicately atop his straight black hair and a pair of glass shoes on, identical to the shoes he'd had on during the ball.

Next to him, Evgenia and Alina walked together carrying flower petals and the rings. Both were wearing tutus: Evgenia's was blue and Alina's was pink. They also both had ribbons tied in their hair, and their smiles had never looked more genuine as they watched Yuzuru's face break out into a sunny beam.

"Woah," Javier whispered under his breath, and Brian and Jason nodded in agreement.

Yuzuru walked to Javier's side with Effie still in his arms. He chuckled slightly as she wiggled around, placing a paw on Javier's head lightly as if to pass on some words of wisdom, before she stretched her paws out to Alina. The young lady scooped the cat up and she and Evgenia moved out of the way. Javier carefully took Yuzuru's hand, eyes never leaving his fiancee's as they got married.

"Yuzuru," Javier said softly, sliding the golden ring onto his finger, "I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. Your kindness is impossible to ignore, and you have so much beauty inside and out. I love you more than I know how to say, and this ring symbolises my eternal love for you."

Yuzuru had tears in his eyes as he picked up the other ring, holding Javier's hand carefully. "Javi. I-I... I don't... I don't know what to say. Thank you for showing me that life is worth living. Thank you for making my life better. Thank you for giving me a home, and hope, and I promise I will always be yours, as long as you want me to. I will love and respect you forever." he slid the ring onto Javier's finger and met his fiancee's eyes again with a weak smile.

The king didn't even wait to pull him into a kiss. He cupped Yuzuru's cheek and slid his other hand into his hair as he pulled the Japanese man closer. The other ran his fingers through Javier's curls as they deepened the kiss.

In the palace, another ball was being held in honour of the wedding. Javier and Yuzuru stole the spotlight as they danced together in the centre of the room with eyes only for each other. Jason hummed with a smile as he watched his two friends dance around happily.

"Care for a dance?" he turned and his face broke out into a wide smile.

"Shoma?"

The fairy offered him a hand and he took it, resting his hand gently on Shoma's waist as the fairy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I didn't think you'd come tonight," Jason confessed. Shoma tilted his head at him.

"I had to see you. I need to tell you something important Jason."

"You do?" The young man looked up and Shoma nodded slowly.

"Jason I... Um... I... My job is done. Yuzuru's happiness is fulfilled, his father's soul is happy... My point is, my duties as a fairy are done."

Jason's breath caught in his throat. "Y-you mean..."

"Yes," Shoma nodded, "I can stop being a fairy. And I can be with you for as long as you will have me."

Jason's eyes filled with tears and he hugged Shoma tightly. Unable to stop himself, he pulled him into a kiss, resting a hand gently on Shoma's waist and the back of his head. The shorter man kissed him back just as passionately, tilting his head to deepen their kiss.

"Bout time," Javier huffed lightly and Yuzuru giggled, head resting against his chest, "Jason's been pining for this fairy for months."

"Now they can be happy," Yuzuru smiled, "everyone is happy now Javi."

"Especially me," he smiled, kissing Yuzuru's forehead gently. "I love you, Yuzu. More than I know how to say."

"I love you too," he whispered, kissing Javier's cheek as he stood on his toes. "I um... One minute? Please?"

"Of course," Javier let him go and Yuzuru headed up to their room. The king grabbed a drink and chatted to other guests as Yuzuru rushed up to their room.

Sitting in the middle of their bed was Effie. Yuzuru froze when he saw her.

"Is it you?" he whispered gently as he knelt down by the bed, sitting level with her. "Effie-chan, are you actually my father?"

Effie looked at him for a moment before she nodded slowly, purring as she nuzzled up against his outstretched hand. A single tear ran down Yuzuru's cheek as he hugged her tightly.

"T-thank you... I... I'm okay now... I still miss you every single day. I'm glad you could see me getting married. I love you."

Effie purred into his chest and he eventually pulled himself away from her, wiping his eyes.

"I'd better go and find my husband hadn't I?"

Effie purred at him, batting her tail, as she moved the covers aside, revealing another twig. Yuzuru's heart fluttered, and he tucked the small piece of branch into the edge of the flower crown.

"Thank you," he whispered before he headed back down into the ballroom.

Javier took his hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb, as they climbed the stairs up to a balcony together.

"Ready?" asked the king. Yuzuru nodded slowly as they stood before the closed balcony doors.

"As I'll ever be," he admitted. Javier pushed open the doors and led Yuzuru out onto the balcony.

The entire kingdom had gathered on the streets to see the king and his husband appear on the balcony together. Javier kept one hand on Yuzuru's waist as they waved for the crowd, smiling together.

"You know," Javier chuckled lightly, "your smile is absolutely gorgeous. I'd love to try and put it into a painting one day. You're beautiful."

"You're very handsome," Yuzuru replied with a blush, and Javier cupped his cheek.

"My prince," he whispered.

"My king," Yuzuru answered before they both leaned in for the kiss.

The kingdom cheered for the two royals, and they both lived happily ever after. Shoma and Jason went on to become royal advisers for them, and they too lived happily. Brian was finally free from being clawed by Effie each day. Alina and Evgenia took up work around the palace and helped out wherever they could, despite Javier and Yuzuru's protests. Effie kept close to Yuzuru and Javier, who ruled the kingdom with a fair hand together.

Yuzuru kept his parents' words in his heart forever. Through all the challenges of life, he had courage and was kind. Instead of seeing the world as it was, he and Javier saw the world as it should be, and worked hard together to change the kingdom for the better.


End file.
